Map of Your Head
by RacheKnowsNoEnd
Summary: Auggie has been around for awhile. He has a day job as a teacher that he (mostly) enjoys. His night job is... a little different. SHIELD takes an interest in him, offering something he has been attempting to find for a long time. In exchange? Be one of the candidates for the Avenger Initiative. This isn't the same shield from 50 years ago... (SLASH Yaoi OMC/Steve BRUCE/NATASHA)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Another One Bites the Dust

Rituals are interesting to learn about. Not the candles, chanting, or other paranormal forms of rituals but the mundane, tasks you complete regularly because of necessity or to bring yourself comfort. I remember my sister would always think of two nice things she wanted to do for another person the following day before she closed her eyes to embrace sleep.

I sat with my back straight, my posture being ingrained into my muscle memory since childhood, and stared down at the yellowed parchment in silently. I have done this a thousand times in my life. Why I persist in the ritual is honestly a question I would not be capable of answering if it was ever asked of me.

I do not feel as though it brings me comfort, it no longer makes my heart clench with fear as it once did when I read the letter. Yet for some strange reason I find myself continuing the ritual without fail. Stoically I traced the words I had memorized a long time ago, letting myself fall temporarily into memories normally left buried.

 _10 July 1984_

 _Covenant , Budapest_

 _Dearest A,_

 _Please pardon the poor paper, the scratchy pen, the ungraceful language … It pains me to inform you I am not up to dick presently. I was consequently required to doff myself of those whose company I once sought before the situation could worsen. The monastic women at the Covenant have allowed for a sojourn here until lethargy no longer grasps me in its arms despite my appearance as a mendicant._

 _It is with a heavy heart that even with the news of remaining here I still am disconsolate..._

 _I apologize, my love, for the illegible scrawl I fear this has become but it is with trepidation that I lay in discomfit thinking on the night I reached my destination. The Lord was most austere yet lacked any ardor one would normally reserve for guests which caused me to worry. My worries were beginning to taper even as he warned me against_ _peregrination, advising it was best to stay in my rooms for the night. Aware more than most, you are, of my inherently obstreperous nature. This was an egregious error on my part because as I found a room with no hinges, I began to lose myself to the land of dreams._

 _It was just as my eyes were closing that they appeared - two with dark hair and one with gold, the weird sisters. The golden haired one drew me in with her gaze and as my eyes made contact with her own, any attempts to eschew myself from them seemed to evanescent. I was enraptured and instantly beguiled by the very presence of these women. They desired to immolate me just as a goat would sacrifice a sheep to the wolf._

 _One of the brunette vampires encouraged the blond to 'feed' on me first, saying to her 'Go on! You are first, and we shall follow. Yours is the right to begin.' depicting her to have some sort of status over the others. I am not sure what the hierarchy is but I am most pleased I did not stay around in order to personally find out._

 _The Lord stopped the three just as I thought I would be lost but the words that followed gave me no comfort, for he said they could have me once he leaves for England._

 _I was aghast at the revelation and I admit my first thoughts were on you. That night I developed brain fever. The next day I knew the Lord would depart for Home, this imbued my body with the strength it needed to raise myself off the floor and consequently flee, narrowly avoiding being captured once more._

 _This is how I came to be at this cloister, sorely missing the acumen and warmth that I gain when you are by my side, and I shall take to watching the road fastidiously if I have even a dim chance to see you._

 _With Sincere Regard,_

 _Yours Truly,_

 _Jonathan Harker_

I folded the thick, yellowed parchment into a square once more, following the same lines as I had every time before. I brought a wine glass up to my lips, taking a sip and just barely preventing myself from shivering in pleasure at the wonderful taste, tucking the letter from Jonathan into the drawer of my sturdy oak desk.

I stood up, carrying the glass with me and carefully swirling the dark crimson liquid as to not accidentally spill any, my eyes focused on the newspaper clippings spread out on a whiteboard against a bookshelf. My eyes scanned the black printed words of one article in particular before I grabbed a red marker from the cup eagerly, quickly drawing a dash on the corner of Gulliver Street and Dane Avenue. My eyes flickered from articles to the board, a satisfied look coming across my face when I finally connected the eight spots into one large circle.

"So these are your hunting grounds." I murmured out loud to the empty room, tipping the glass to drain it of it's liquid, before getting changed into my normal hunting clothes. It was time to turn the hunter into the hunted for the night and I was going to enjoy it. I strode to the desk I had left abandoned moments before, sitting on the straight backed chair with ease before reaching out to unlock the tablet sitting innocuously in front of me. I quickly typed in the number from memory and leaned back, patiently waiting for her to pick the phone up. As I waited for the phone to be answered, I held the fabric of my ever present blood red scarf between my fingers, seeing how worn down the material was getting and frowning. I have a couple of spare scarves but I needed to buy a new one soon.

"Auggie! What's up man?" Camilla greeted me cheerfully, her too far apart eyes crinkling in the corner as she smiled into the camera. "Hey, how did that date go-"

"I believe I found him." I said, interrupting Camilla before she could ask too many questions about my activities the prior night. Cammilla's eyes widened but her surprise only lasted a moment before she was all business, as I knew she would be, and I watched as she gathered the dark brown hair that was hanging free around her shoulders into a lopsided topknot of a sort.

"Coordinates?" Camilla asked briskly, her hands already a blur as the camera struggled to keep up with how fast they were moving over a keyboard, the clacking as each finger hit an individual key the only evidence of her efforts.

"There." I replied, showing her the board as I flipped the camera from front facing to the other camera.

"Nice." Camillia whistled appreciatively, renewing her efforts and typing even faster than she had been previously. "You know I won't forget to ask about last night, Auggie. Business now, pleasure later."

"If it is business now, why is it we are still wagging our chins about something as trivial as a dinner plan of mine that has already occurred in the past?" I asked snarkily, regretting it as soon as the words left my mouth because I heard her fingers slow for a moment before picking up speed once more.

"Lucky for you, I can do both." Camilla responded casually, the chair she was sitting in squeaking as she leant back. I took a moment to breathe in the smell of polished wood and books for a moment, relishing in the silence and sense of victory as Camilla closed in on the man I had been after for five months. It was this cat and mouse game that gave birth to my irritability, not Camilla or the sad excuse for a dinner companion last night.

"I am lucky." I acknowledged, my lip curling slightly in amusement as I heard her hum in satisfaction - I was forgiven for my earlier tone.

"Got him, Auggie." stated Camilla with a final few sharp raps on the keyboard in front of her, not bothering to hide the sadistically victorious look on her face when I turned the camera back to face where it could capture my face and the droll gray curtains that served as an unintended backdrop. "Nail this bastard, will you?"

"It would be my pleasure." I replied, my hands clenching slightly in anticipation. I grabbed the tablet off of the stand it was resting on and then headed for the front door of the house I was staying in, only stopping to grab my keys and a black duffle bag on my way out.

"So what went wrong last night?" Camilla asked innocently, her tone almost dripping with barely restrained curiosity.

"What always happens, Cam?" I asked rhetorically, setting the tablet on the stand in my SUV so she could see me as I drove and I her as well. I brought the keys from my pocket to the ignition in an easy, smooth move and threw the car in drive a moment later after the engine came to life.

"He asked about that?" Camilla demanded to know without expecting a reply, her nose crinkling in disgust and outrage on my behalf. "What a pig."

"Where am I going?" I asked, changing the topic as I pulled down a street that was far less occupied than the one I was on a moment ago.

"I narrowed it down to two places based on the normal criteria." Camilla said, her voice breaking up slightly as I drove over a pothole in the street, not paying it any mind as my eyes swept back and forth in wary readiness. "One is an abandoned animal shelter and the other is an old gas station."

"Which one do you think?" I asked, tilting my head slightly as I thought about the same question. If it were me, I would pick the gas station because I wouldn't want to be around that many cages.

"Have you ever heard about Bunnicula?" Camilla asked, staring at me through narrowed eyes as I drove along the street. "Bunny gets turned into a vampire? No way. Gas station."

I snorted at her logic, shaking my head in exasperation mixed with disbelief. "They really made a novel about that?"

"Yeah man!" exclaimed Camilla, throwing her hands up and letting them fall back down to where her lap most likely was. "Granted, he only sucks the jui- Turn left up here, it'll be on the right, juice of carrots."

"Carrots?" I reiterated while my lips morphed into a frown. That honestly sounded disgusting. I turned on to the street she had informed me to turn on to, making sure my lights were off in order to retain the element of surprise.

"You're there." Camila whispered just low enough that I could hear, looking at me with her too far apart brown eyes as though it would be the last time she saw me. Her skin looked almost as fair as mine in the blue glow from her computer monitor, though I knew she was normally a dark brown color.

"I'll call you when the job has been completed." I murmured lowly, turning off the tablet with one hand while I unbuckled myself with the other. I heard the first part of what I knew would be a good luck before Camilla's face was gone and I was thrown into darkness. I sat perfectly still as I strained my still adjusting senses to the limit of their ability. Silently, I grabbed the duffel bag sitting in the passenger seat and opened the car door to get out of the vehicle. I carefully closed the door, wincing slightly as it made a clicking noise upon closing, and strained my ears to see if there were any signs of someone noticing.

Satisfied that no one was currently watching me, I lay the duffel bag gently down on the ground next to the front driver side wheel. I took off the black Field Marshall coat I was wearing and lay it down on top of the bag so my movements would not be obstructed. I was wearing a solid dark blue shirt underneath with a mandarin collar as well as gray tactical pants and combat boots. I had my sheath strapped across my chest, hidden when my coat is on, but still easily accessible with or without it.

I pulled two of the ring daggers out, both with a dark blue grip that gave traction to avoid the daggers from flying out of my hands. There was a building between myself and the gas station Camilla had thought he could be squatting at. I hugged one of the dingy walls of the gray, stone building as I silently made my way to the entrance of the alley that would lead me straight to the gas station. My eyes cut through the night, scanning every inch of the two bricked walls that would be on my left and right if I chose to walk down them. With controlled movements, I stayed in the shadow as I edged myself around the alley to head down it and get to the gas station.

The moon was covered by thick, rolling layers of clouds - the only light peeking through a small gap in the network of fluff but not enough to give an ideal amount of vision. I only had one fourth of the amount of ground to cover now and the eerie silence was broken by a squealing sound less than a mile from here. My hands tightened the grip on my daggers as I tilted my head in order to hear the noise better, tucking a chunk of my auburn hair behind my ear to remove the extra barrier. There was a rhythmic sound that it took a moment for me to place until I heard the squeal once again and realized that was the sound of a truck, the tires going over asphalt and the brakes asking to be checked or changed.

I moved without thinking, dashing around the corner towards where the gas station was before finding the best place to hide - unfortunately, it was behind a dumpster. My nose wrinkled in disgust but it gave me the shadows to sink into, hopefully remaining invisible, as well as providing a stench to cover my own scent so he could not smell me.

I watched with narrowed eyes as a Chevrolet Pickup rounded the corner, paint beginning to peel in various parts covering the surface of the vehicle and giving it an aged look. The truck pulled in near where a gas pump used to be located before parking right in front of it, giving me a view of the tailgate where the license plate should be. I say should be because on the truck it was missing, tore off actually, if the strange marks where it had once been bolted to the truck were anything to go by.

The man who got out of the truck was a few inches taller than me with brown hair and distinguishable facial features from the distance where I was currently watching him as the he rounded a corner to open up the tailgate. My hands clenched the daggers so painfully it hurt myself but I couldn't feel the pain at all because of how transfixed on the scene in front of me I was.

When the gate lowered, it revealed three bodies that I knew were still breathing because of the rise and fall of their chests. I froze as I got an itch on the back of my neck, the kind that usually told you that someone was watching you. I scanned the area but saw no one, so I once again zeroed in on the younger vampire who had grabbed a boy from the bed and swung him easily onto his shoulder.

"I'm supposed to share but I won't tell if you won't." The vampire mockingly told the unconscious boy, snickering to himself and leading the boy toward the same alley I had vacated prior to his arrival.

My mind was already racing in order to make a strategy, thinking about how far of a jump it was between the dumpster and the alley's entrance. The first attack would almost certainly take him by surprise, unless he was playing with me at the moment which considering what he was couldn't be dismissed, and as long as I was precise the boy most likely had a ninety percent chance of surviving the encounter.

Obviously the brunette vampire enjoyed playing with his food since he did not go for the jugular straight away once he finally had the boy pinned to the wall. I knew he was a relatively new vampire because the way he exposed himself, with his back to the world as he worked his way up to being taken over by bloodlust, was an amateur move. One I would be more than happy to exploit.

I moved at top speed, using the dumpster like a spring board as I covered the distance between myself and the other two in a second or less. I had his head in a deadly grip, prepared to snap it as though it were a piece of wood, but I instead I watched as he froze after taking in the situation. Slowly, so I would not misconstrue his intentions most likely, the vampire let go of the boy and we both watched as he slid down the wall unharmed.

"And who are you?" Brunette asked me, a smile playing on his lips when I remained on his back but I could feel how tense underneath me he was. I was the one in control, he knew that he was in a bad spot, and wanted to talk. "Would you mind letting go?"

I stayed silent, tightening my grip as a soundless warning when he moved one of his arms, and I allowed my mind to take a step back and take a second to figure out what was causing me to feel concern presently. There were details that were not adding up. Obviously by his shoddy feeding position and lack of a struggle he was most likely recently turned. Which couldn't fit because the person I've been tracking was adept at covering his tracks - I estimated they were a decade or so younger than I was by the behavior. I felt it before anything else, the same itchy feel on the back of my neck except more persistent this time. On instinct alone I broke the newly born one's neck, pushing off him to throw myself to the left, hearing an object slicing into an object the same instant my feet touched pavement.

Glancing at the wall confirmed the young one had a short sword buried hilt deep into his skull, the blood splatter around the actual head decorating the walls in a mocking way. I turned to face the direction where the blade had come from and locked eyes with a girl who was taller than myself and the other boy. She must have been at least five feet and eleven inches tall. The woman was staring at me, her eyes practically glacial, as she observed the damage.

"I was just starting to get used to this town." She sighed, letting the blonde spiky hair fall in front of her eyes before brushing it away. She gave me a wicked smirk when another sword was pulled from a sheath on her back, the match to the one previously thrown except this sword was full sized instead. "I suppose it is only polite to know the name of the person that is going to kill you. I am Elizabeth Stardet."

"A pleasure." I replied dryly, speaking up to capture her attention in case she decided to look towards the truck where one of the students, a girl, was begining to awaken. "My name is Augustus."

"Well, Augustus, it will certainly be a pleasure to kill you tonight." Elizabeth said casually before lurching forward in a blitz move meant to take an opponent off guard. Her strategy was obvious but irritatingly it was so simple because she didn't need to be fancy. The reach of her weapon gave her an advantage.

We danced back and forth in a wide circle, personally spending half of my efforts in order to move the fight as far from the humans as possible without drawing attention to my goal, and it was she who drew first blood by nicking my shoulder. I focused purely on the fight after she drew blood, brining up a dagger to retaliate with a vicious couple of slices which she just barely parried before I finally feinted, pretending to attack her with my elbow but truly extending my leg as quick as a whip to plow straight into her ribs.

There was an indent in the wall from where she impacted and I could tell I had shaken her up a little when she wiped away blood from her mouth. She performed jumping side kick after standing up quick enough for it to be hard for my eyes to register movement, she followed by a hook kick aimed at my lower body, then two jabs and a hook punch; I blocked the first three and ducked the hook punch, intending to grab her for a grappling match but never getting the opportunity. A burning in my side let me know I had been stabbed and it was only the slight moonlight shining above us that drew my attention to the thick blade extended, and now receding, into her boot.

The moment of distraction, looking at the knife as well as the pain, was enough to give her an open window to bite down on my shoulder. I shouted in pain and then turned the pain into anger, gripping her short hair and yanking as hard as I could. Elizabeth's fangs were imbedded into my skin, causing a chunk of skin to come up at the same time as her head when I forcefully raised it, but she let go when I managed to cut deep into the side of her neck with one of my daggers from the angle we were in.

She was quick, her hand a blur as she threw some kind of projectile at me, but I jumped before tucking into a ball so I would roll on the ground towards the human boy and currently dead vampire. I threw the last three daggers I had on my person in rapid succession, only one of them getting buried into her thigh. She didn't wince as she yanked it out and tossed it to the side while evaluating me.

"This has been fun." Elizabeth said, trying to speak in a casual tone of voice but not quite succeeding as either pain or exertion caused her breath to hitch. She growled in the back of her throat, noticing the slight curl to my lips at her attempt to be nonchalant. "That's it. Let's END THIS!"

Elizabeth dove forward, her body vibrating mid jump and changing into a wolf with its jaw outstretched towards me in mid air. I flung my hand out, wrapped it around something, and dived underneath the grey wolf, coming up on the other side with no more additional injuries. I turned sharply, lifting the short sword I plucked from her changeling's body to a more defensive position, and watching the wolf's breath come as steam as Elizabeth panted in the slightly cold air. A whine got caught in her throat and I watched in surprise as the stomach came open, a cut visible that ran about two feet across and spilled some of the innards onto pavement.

I approached the wolf quickly, plunging the sword into its brain to allow a clean and merciful death - I left it there because vampire's heal wounds incredibly fast, already I could see where her stomach had been healing the damage I caused moments before. I picked up one of my ring daggers, plunged it into the brunette vampire's head, and then picked the boy up with the hand that had the least amount of blood on it in order to take him to the truck. I layed him down into the bed and reached down to close the gate when I noticed a bit of movement out of the corner of my eye from the girl.

"Miss, are you quite alright?" I asked, my voice changing slightly as power seeped into it and caused it to sound almost musical. The girl opened her eyes, frightened blue surrounded by freckles, and I smiled as gently as I could at her when we made eye contact. "You are going to forget this ever happened. You will drive the truck with these boys somewhere safe and wait until you all wake up together. I was never here, you don't know what happened this night."

"I don't know what happened. I'm going to drive us home." She whispered, the blue of her eyes mostly overtaken by the dilated pupils as my power took ahold of her. I handed the keys to her and watched as she mechanically took them, got into the truck, and drove away from the crime.

Once she was out of sight, I turned towards the bodies and small pools of blood that I needed to clean with a resigned feeling inside. I sprinted to the SUV, leaning down to unzip the duffle bag and plucking an item out to put into my ear. I observed my reflection in the mirror as the phone rang, watching uninterestedly as the chunk missing from my shoulder regrew.

"Camilla's City Morgue, you kill 'em, we chill 'em! How can I help you today?" Cam's bubbly voice poured over the bluetooth, causing my shoulders to relax by a fraction and I turned away from the mirror when the last bit of skin on my shoulder was smooth again.

"There were two of the wankers, Cam." I said, still feeling a little 'high' that the thrill of a good fight always gave me. These two were decidedly pathetic compared to most of my targets but it was still enjoyable.

"That actually makes sense."

"Imagine that." I grabbed my duffel and walked at a normal, human pace to the gas station. Reflexively I checked that nothing changed in the two minutes I have been gone; if there was one thing I have learned in my one hundred and fifty years is that caution will save you many a heartache as well as headache.

"I'm guessing by your laid backness that everything went A okay?" Camilla's words had a slight undertone of worry sprinkled on them. It made me feel chuffed to bits that the younger woman worried about my safety despite how often we did this together.

"In all honesty I was jammy tonight." I answered truthfully as I arrived at the bodies and laid the bag down next to them. I fetched the gasoline jug as well as the black paint from the bag, setting them to the side until they were needed.

"What does that even mean?"

I bit back a chuckle, knowing jolly well that the noise would further incense her, before explaining the British slang. "Jammy is the same thing as lucky. I was lucky that they were not more powerful or experienced. One of them put up a decent fight, she was near my age. The other must have been new, he was an an absolute duffer."

"I just wrote that down and stuck it to my computer monitor for future reference." I could hear Camilla moving sheets of paper around on her desk as she spoke. I know she must be knackered considering she got up early this morning and it is now three in the morning where she lives in the eastern time zone - only two hours ahead of me.

"Thank you for the aid tonight." I commented in a gentle tone of voice so I could ease into telling my best mate, the stubborn bugger that she is, to get into bed.

"You're so about to go all Mom hen on me right now, aren't you?"

"Are you getting shirty with me?" I smothered a smile, kneeling into a quick prayer for God to watch over the souls of the lives taken tonight, before standing up and bringing out the machete from its spot in the bag. The silver blade glinted in the slightly more visible moon, showing off a sharp and defined edge.

"If I am?" Camilla challenged, sounding much less threatening than she intended because of the yawn that interrupted her words halfway through.

"You are zonked. Find your bed. Goodnight." My tone left no room for an argument. Camilla was so prepared for sleep that she did not throw a wobbler for my 'command'. It always left me gobsmacked when I hear women speaking in a manner ill befitting a lady - just one example of how much day to day life has changed.

I brought the machete up and then down in a merciless hack that chopped the head off of the brunette vampire easily. I followed the same routine with the woman, who had changed back into her humanoid form upon death, before gingerly setting the machete down onto the ground. Placing both heads toward the feet in order to make sure they would not try to reattach themselves, I emptied the can of gasoline on the bodies with no remorse.

Leaving the soaked bodies for a moment, I grabbed the small can of black paint and used a knife to jimmy the lid off of, exposing the tar black paint within. I splashed the paint on the wall, making absolutely sure to cover all of the blood staining the brick and the floor as well. Once that job was sorted, I gathered the materials lying next to the headless corpses and retreated a safe distance away.

Fishing the matches from a side pocket that contained a pack of fags as well, I lit the cylindrical tube and took a stonking drag. Letting out a grateful hum as I exhaled, the acrid smell of smoke filling the air, I easily lit another match and tossed it between the two dead beings. I repeated the process a few more times so the flames would spread quicker before sitting on my heels, the embers at the end of the cigarette between my lips glowing every time I took a hit.

I always stay to make sure the bodies are burnt up, taking the bones to bury them somewhere else or to completely incinerate them. It would not do to be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure - well, I suppose it would truly be at the will of the police here in New Orleans. All the same.

I slipped off my fingerless gloves and slipped on full leather gloves to replace them, not willing to chance a fingerprint on the bodies after I burnt all of them off. I stowed the cigarette butt in the side pocket where I kept the pack and the matches; I would have to be off my trolley to leave a fag laying around with my DNA on the filter from saliva. It would be the same as writing on the wall with the paint that Auggie Murray was here killing people.

After I packed the bones up and checked my work, I spread the ashes around so it didn't look as though two bodies were burnt on the ground. Once satisfied, I loaded everything in the SUV and headed to my current home reflexively. I was not paying attention to the street as I drove almost on autopilot - my mind was already thinking about where I could complete the ritual I usually did after I finished being on a job.

When I realized the time of night it was, coupled with the morning lecture looming ever closer that I was giving, I conceded to myself that I would finish up tomorrow after work. A shag would be bloody brilliant tonight but sleep would be more important for tomorrow. I would pull a fit gent tomorrow to get off with; that leaves me with something to look forward to as well as dream about tonight.

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 **A/N: Hey! This is Chapter One, let me know what you all think? You will be introduced to Marvel characters starting in Chapter Two, so bear with me in the meantime. This is a cross over between Dracula (Bram Stoker - loosely based, I have changed/edited a lot but the names and a portion of the back story was inspired by the novel) and MCU. Also!**

 **Auggie: He is sort of a gender-bender version of Mina Harker? If anyone has seen League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Mina Murray is in that movie as well (same character). Auggie is loosely based off of her - A lot of the background will be very different.** **I have the next chapter ready, so if I get 5 reviews by tonight then I'll post it. Otherwise, it will be a week! :D**

 **This will be a slash story, as in a homosexual relationship will be the main pairing although it will include many heterosexual relationships as well. (Simply put: There are going to be scenes where two dudes go at it like rabbits and scenes where a boy and a girl shag and possibly a girl and a girl. Lots of snogging (kissing) in between.**

 **I enjoy putting music to scenes, so at the end of each chapter will be a playlist that shows what song I put to what scene. I hope you enjoy the story! The more reviews I receive, the faster the update will be - it motivates me to write like a demon, I swear.**

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 **Playlist: Song - Artist - Scene**

 **Inner Demons - Julie Brennan - Start of the chapter/reading letter.**

 **Game of Survival - Ruelle - When Auggie gets off of the phone with Cam. (The first time)**

 **Monster - Skillet - When Auggie gets the drop on the other vampire, saving the kids life.**

 **Another One Bites the Dust - Hidden Citizens version - Auggie smoking a cigarette while watching the bodies burn.**


	2. Chapter 2: Smile

Chapter Two: Smile, The Worst Is Yet To Come.

" Now, as you can see by the chart displayed on the projector, a net of four ATPs was produced from glycolysis through the Krebs cycle. More ATP will be produced from reduced coenzymes in the mitochondria during the electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation." I used a laser pointer to show the students taking my class what I was talking about.

I swept my eyes around the room and noted with exasperation how many eyes were closed or attempting to flutter shut instead of copy the information. "I also plan on coming to the final exam wearing a hot pink cocktail dress. Any of you who can guess what color my knickers shall be receive ten points of extra credit." I continued sarcastically, keeping a straight face as half of the students laughed. The people who didn't laugh obviously did not hear a word I was saying but I never let it bother me.

"Thank you, for those of you paying attention and even to those of you who have not been - at least you made it to class. On time, as well! You lot are bloody brilliant." I commented dryly and not changing the expression on my face when the statement brokered the laugh I was aiming to receive. It was always hit or miss with students in a classroom - especially Americans. "On my website is the study guide for the final exam which will be in two weeks from today. The next four classes prior to the exam are going to be purely about reviewing. I recommend you come to these sessions. I won't be taking attendance these days, however, so if you are confident you know the material or would prefer to study on your own time, feel free to do so."

Most of the eighty students already began packing the textbooks and whatever they used to take notes into the tote bags they carried from classroom to classroom. A hand raising in the front row caught my attention, surprising me when I saw who was raising the hand.

"Mr. Gilliam?" I inquired, focusing on the athletic student who made it his job to be the class clown of my Monday and Wednesday mornings for this past semester.

"Thank you, sir." Matthew Gilliam said innocently and I caught myself just in the nick of time from rolling my eyes at the dimwitted boy. I can tell from his tone already that this was going to be one more attempt to get a reaction out of me. "Are you sure the test is in two weeks? Could we reschedule? It's my birthday that same day. It would be bad luck to take a test the same day."

"I apologize for your misfortune, Mr. Gilliam. Regretfully, I have to decline that proposal - I hope you can understand why. You see, unlike your birth, this test has been planned out in advance." I deadpanned, refusing the smile attempting to surface from becoming visible when the students all laughed and told him he had gotten 'burned'. Though I was not completely aware of what the word meant in the context they were using it, I inferred that they were implying I got one over on him because of the context. There is nothing better than taking the piss out of students who attempt to do the same regularly. "Any other questions?"

"No sir." Gilliam's face was slightly tinted with red and my eyes focused in on the blood beneath his cheeks as they colored his skin before I realized what I was doing. I would be willing to bet his blood was a little tangy but refreshing - similar to an orange or a bl- .

I cut my thoughts off before they could delve any more into ideas about the flavor of my students blood. My eyes drifted towards the door as I heard it opening and it was strange to see the beautiful girl walking into the room. Strange mostly because it was three minutes until the end of my class.

The boys gawked at her with jaws dropped open and I ignored her for the most part, making sure to keep her in my peripheral vision the remaining class period. Most everyone was packed up, myself included, but the red haired girl just blew another bubble with her gum. Something felt off - I trusted my gut more than most people might. Your body is a finely tuned organism and it may be listening to a different 'radio station' than you are.

I knocked the papers off of my desk, scrambling to catch them as part of an act, while I really threw my bluetooth in my ear while I was hidden. I pulled my hair loose from its normally well kempt ponytail, the auburn strands curling slightly from where they had been held up by the elastic hair tie. The bell rang as soon as I stood back up, patting my hair to ensure you couldn't see the device and waving cheerfully at my students as they trudged out of the door. The girl was not getting up from her seat.

" _I'm not getting anything from her. Might be time to try the good ol' fashioned way"_ Camilla said into my ear, having been watching her through the camera for the past minute. She was aware of my eyes on her but she pretended to be clueless - checking her watch, blowing a pink bubble, and then turning the page. I angled my back towards her so she couldn't see me give the camera a questioning look. _"Flirt idiot!"_

Her hair was red and in a sort of bob cut that was very flattering, easily showing off her superb bone structure. Jeans and a casual blouse hugged her figure in a way that would be enticing under the right circumstances. All interesting and true observations but it was not what was bothering me. I feel like I know her from somewhere.

"Pochemu vy tak khorosho znakomy mne?" I inquired while shifting into a more casual stance, leaning against the desk behind me and folding my hands in the front. This made me appear less threatening and would allow her to keep an eye on my hands. ( _ **Why is it you appear so familiar to me?)**_

Her head snapped around to stare at me so quickly that I was momentarily wondering if she broke her neck by doing it. I thought it strange that I had the urge to speak with her in Russian but I figured it would not hurt; it was interesting that she knew the language. The woman stood up slowly, leaving her magazine on the table, and I watched her eyes go to various places in the room; What I deduced from the way she moves and the places her eyes had just glanced at is certainly an interesting bit of information. I wonder if I could shock her into admitting something.

"Ty voin." I remarked casually, watching her preemptively resist the urge to tense or otherwise defend herself. If it wasn't for my better than average eyesight, I never would have caught the way her muscles bunched before she forcibly relaxed them. _**(You are a warrior.)**_

"Mnogim mne mnogo vsego. " She replied, her eyes evaluating me and my mannerisms much in the same way I was doing to her. _**(I am many things to many people.)**_

"As am I, Miss…?" I trailed off, leaving an open ended question while staring at her expectantly.

"Rushman." She introduced herself, neither of us made any move to shorten the distance between us.

"Auggie." I responded in kind, doing a half bow at the waist that startled her into a little laugh, instantly making my own mischievous side show itself. "My surname is Harker."

I saw her eyes narrow slightly at the mention of my last name, confirming my suspicions that she knew who I was. The brief flash of curiosity proved that she knew my name but did not know why I was going by a different last name than what he had most likely heard.

"Natalie. Are you always so old fashioned?" Natalie replied, tilting her head at me with an unreadable expression on her face.

"I am the way my mother raised me to be." I told her with a small smirk

"Is that so?" Natalie said rhetorically with humor in her voice. This is something that threw me for a loop because what should have been something only I, Camilla, and few choice others would see as a joke is not something one would find humor in normally. Does she know how old I am?

 _"Natalie Rushman was working for Tony Stark as a PA until a few months ago. Tony Stark's aliases are Iron Man, Merchant of Death, and other variation of the Merchant. Natalie Rushman allegedly worked for Pepper Potts and Stark himself."_ Camilla told me, talking nineteen to the dozen while she researched the enigma of a woman standing in front of me. _"I say let something slip that you know, see if you can shake her."_

"What brings you here today, Natalie?" I asked pleasantly, moving from one of my student's desk to head towards the white board. I picked one of the eraser up in my hand and began to clear the formula's still written in my own hand. "Surely it is not to wag off with a boring Biochemistry Professor."

"I don't think you're boring at all, Dr. Harker." Natalie replied artfully, subtly looking up towards me from beneath dark eyelashes. The effect was interesting but I feel it would be more effective if I was taller.

"Oh? So you are here to… get to know me? Warts and all?" The bemused look on my face was not something I was trying to disguise.

"You don't have any warts." Natalie countered with a tiny laugh, twisting her body so that her chest was slightly more pushed forward and in a way that would make her curves stand out even better that they were before.

"It is a figure of speech." I explained indulgently, lips twitching in amusement.

" _She modeled in Tokyo, Japan just before she was hired by Stark Industries. Funnily enough, Auggie, is that days before she came back to the U.S.A. there was a plane explosion in Japan. Following her return, all of the drama with Iron Man happened. When things settled down, she left."_

"Brilliant." I muttered sarcastically, gaining Natasha's attention and I smiled for a moment as I weighed my options. Confront her so we can get this over with or let it drag on, see what happens next.

" _You show her who is a boss, Auggie!"_ Camilla exclaimed loudly, making me want to hug her and box her ears al at the same time.

"Natalie Rushman, what are you on about?" I asked bluntly, letting the look of a calculating predator replace the mask of the gormless yet jovial teacher as though I was merely using a different scent of cologne.

"I thought we were just talking?" Natalie said with her eyebrows scrunched together and a innocently confused expression on her face. Both of these made me pause before I remembered that none of it was true. She was obviously lying.

" _Auggie, I can't believe I didn't see it before!"_ Camilla abruptly broke in, sounding as though she were experiencing a bewildering amount of emotions at once. Excitement, guilt, and worry, maybe? _"There is someone else watching you talk to Natalie. He is this creepy looking guy, definitely not someone I want to have Sunday brunch with."_

"Absolutely." I agreed, nodding my hair more for Camilla's sake than to continue the conversation with Natalie. I was not sure who these people were but it was obviously time for me to leave town, possibly fairly quickly,

"Are you alright?" Natalie asked gently, a impressive look of compassion and concern painted onto her face. This woman was the Van Gogh of her own facial expressions and manipulations.

"Yes, sometimes I get overwhelmed and it makes me want to close my eyes." I told her complacently while shrugging my shoulders to show it was no big deal. "It helps me feel like I can escape and just get some well deserved time to myself."

" _Roger that, loud and clear Auggie. If things get bad, I can shut the lights off in this building and most likely surrounding buildings. After that, you are on your own besides an extra set of eyes and a live time google maps."_ Camilla was confident she could do exactly what she said she could, it was a quality I admired in her quite often.

"Are you sure everything is alright?" Natalie asked again, putting the back of her hand to my forehead. I swatted the hand away teasingly, flashing my teeth at her in a quick smile, before getting a little more serious.

"How about with yourself?" I asked with the hint of a smile playing at the corner of my lips,

"I'm wel-" Natalie started to say, hands beginning to lift from her lap to gesture as she talked but they lowered as soon as I cut her off with my next question.

"How is Tony Stark?" I asked abruptly, turning to face her with more of my body, squaring my shoulders.

"Excuse me?" Natalie asked, obviously not suspecting that I would know about the time she spent with Tony's company. She was excellent at controlling herself, I'll give her that, but the first reaction she should have had was confusion. That was surprise in her eyes, meaning she knew who I was asking about and why. That seemed to be even more suspicious than just being around when bad things happen.

"Iron Man?" I prompted, frowning a little as she continued to silently stare me down.

"Tony and I don't get along very well." Natalie said finally, her tone of voice curt to make it clear she was not going to participate in that avenue of conversation unless she was dragged, hungry and beaten. Somehow I still doubt she would break even if torture methods of the most harsh nature were inflicted upon her. An admirable quality but one that made me even more wary to spend a prolonged amount of time in her company.

"That is too bad." I told her, along with my honest sympathies, not letting it show on my face the abrupt change of pace in conversation. "Have you thought about going back to Tokyo?"

"What do you know about Tokyo?" Natalie asked dangerously, leaning forward slightly in her seat in order to lower her voice but so that I could still hear.

"I know enough." I said nonchalantly "The real question is, when is your friend going to show himself? The entire point of this was to chivvy you up. Personally, I believe we have wagged our chins enough."

Natalie stared at me through narrowed eyes, a reprising and calculated look replacing the other face she had been wearing the past hour. I was calm, refusing to let myself fidget or even look away for more than a few moments. Natalie stood up and walked out of the room without another word. The door was shut for all of a minute and twenty two seconds before a tall man entered the room, his leather coat and black eyepatch giving him an almost unintentional flair aesthetically.

"Do you know who I am?" The man asked with an expectant look on his face, the eye not covered by a bandage was focused solely on myself presently.

"No, I do not." I replied honestly, a wry grin twisting my lips up into the ghost of a smile. My eyes glanced to the file in his hands, one which had my name written across it. "I suppose I can assume you know about me?"

"Yes, Mr. Harker. We have been keeping an interested eye on you for a long while now but due to some unforeseen events, we had no other choice but to approach you." He explained, extending his hand in order to shake on the words spoken between the two. "I am Nicholas Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. or the-"

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." I finished for him with a smirk on my face, thinking about the very first time I had heard those exact same words spoken to me. It seems like only yesterday but at the same time it feels like an age as well. "And it's Doctor Harker, not Mister. Tell me, where is Peggy? For I miss her rather terribly. I just noticed it has been quite some time since we last saw one another."

"I apologize, Dr. Harker, I forgot you were there during the time it was just starting." Director Fury said

"Lucky you." I joked, my voice coming out a tad too bitter to only be playing around and my voice flat. They were dark times in my life, they set me on a path that I almost did not turn back from. "Look, I know you have your way of doing things and I can respect that. I have never gotten in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s way intentionally. You are a busy man, I am a busy man. You can keep your folders, I'm going to go home and take a bath, you do whatever it is secret spy organizations do."

"We need your help." Director Fury said levelly, his steady heartbeat under control as I listened for even the barest hint of a lie. I frowned, not picking up on anything, my traitorous mind wondering what I would be able to help with.

I looked at Fury out of the corner of my, wondering what sort of game he was playing at. Not that it mattered because I have work to do. If I left to do god knows what for S.H.I.E.L.D, what would stop the vampires numbers from swelling at a higher rate?

Out of my admittedly pathetic packet, compared to the other ones on the table at least, came an even smaller folder that Director Fury slid across the table at me. It reminded me of the disturbing children's toys, where one of the strange looking women are in a big doll, but as you separate each doll another is there, only smaller.

"And if I say no?" I asked, waiting with my arms folded across my chest and the unopened folder sitting in front of me.

"Then we let you go." Director Fury confirmed, nodding slowly but stopping as his eyes rested on the folder lying innocently in front of my eyes. I wish I could say that the rather obvious bait and switch trap would never work on me, that I wanted to leave the folder in it's spot to collect dust, and for me to not care what it says for the rest of my life.

The problem with all traps, especially the bait and switch, is that they rely on the prey to have a healthy amount of curiosity. My sister used to constantly tell me curiosity killed the cat - I, being the snotty child I was, would reply in a cheeky voice that satisfaction brought the cat back.

"What is it? Why do you think whatever is in there will change my mind?" I asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion, shifting from the calendar to the other members already

"I think you'll find this is something you've been searching for a long time." Fury commented mildly, laying the other folder with my name on it down before turning around and walking out without another comment.

I waited for a thirty seconds after the door shut to get the folders open and to begin reading through the pages as quickly as a man dying of thirst gulps down water. It was… not what I was expecting but they do say never to look a gift horse in the mouth. When I finished reading the file for the third time, I sat and just absorbed the information for a moment. The school's last class was in about an hour, a night class that I was not eager to stay for, I pushed the chair I was sitting in so that I may stand up.

They did not have much information about me personally, I was relieved to note, thanking Peggy in the back of my mind for upholding her end of our bargain. They knew I was different but they were not aware how different I was. Besides the degrees I possess, the current property I am staying at, and a estimation of my birth year. The file said 'somewhere before 1900, possibly near 1850's'. I snorted because they were right but only because they basically said give or take fifty years. They noted my above average speed and senses in general. Nothing about drinking blood, killing vampires, or anything vampiric really. Though it does say I will hunt serial killers - i.e. vampires - if I hear of one being difficult or elusive to catch. I paced back and forth for a moment, deliberating my options.

What I wanted to do was contact Camilla to update her on what was going on. I did not want to drag her into the mess that is my life anymore, however, and part of me is concerned if S.H.I.E.L.D. learns about her talents, they will recruit her. As selfish as it may be, I want Camilla to myself, safe and out of reach of danger in her house. As much as I wanted to shield her from S.H.I.E.L.D, I knew I would tell her everything and let her make her own choice. It is her life and I have already lived two life times worth of my own, the last thing I needed to do is live someone else's for them.

"I agree." I said out loud, looking straight at the camera as I spoke. I know being under Fury's thumb was not a smart place to position myself but the man has resources. I've been searching for a hundred years for answers those files could give me and I won't stop now because I am slightly nervous about taking orders from a human. "Let's talk details."

This time both Natalie and Fury walked into the room, Fury with the air of someone who has just won a game of chess or a rugby match. Natalie seemed more relaxed, eyeing me curiously as the pair walked up to greet me.

"So you have decided to join the Avenger's initiative?" Fury asked, admirably getting straight to to the point without any preamble.

"I am" I responded with a sense of apprehension that I did not allow to show.

"Excellent. Agent Natasha Romanoff will assist you in updating your file as well as going over the expectations. In return, we will keep an ear out for the object - we are interested in it as well but from what I gather you only intend to use it one time?" Fury asked and expectantly looking at me.

I nodded in reply to his question, technically answering it, and then watched him wait for a moment. I knew what he wanted. The reason why I desired it, what I intended to use it for, and how I felt about S.H.I.E.L.D. planning on securing it. My feelings toward S.H.I.E.L.D. were ambivalent at best. I was decidedly uncaring about the organization because they were a mix of bad and good. Necessary evils, mortal greed, prejudice, and violence all were words one can associate with the organization - as were hope, security, peace, protection, judiciary. I simply did not have the time to ever form a solid opinion when more important things have always been happening and the limited interactions between myself and the organization.

I most likely should start thinking, however, if this is what I believe it to be. The wry thought crossed my mind the moment Agent Romanoff, aka 'Natalie Rushman', slid a document across the table with a fountain pen. I raised my eyebrow at the incredulity that I am about to sign a contract stating I am, in the documents own words, 'on call to assist, defend, secure, counsel, train, and/or report to a designated S.H.I.E.L.D. handler when contacted by the aforementioned handler.

"I am going to read this." Gesturing to the paper I fully intended to read every single letter on, I began at the top of page one.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Nata- Agent Romanoff said as she comfortably relaxed in the seat in front of me. Part of me wonders why we are doing all of this in a classroom instead of a S.H.I.E.L.D. meeting room - not a big enough part to ask or care for very long though I still thought it rather odd. I finished the document and grudgingly signed my name in cursive.

"You have beautiful handwriting." Romanoff commented, looking over my signature. My handwriting was quite nice although it was from an extraordinary amount of practice. In the late nineteenth century, the Spencer method of handwriting was all the rage and my Mother forced, threatened, blackmailed, and beguiled my sister into practicing until the day came where it was an unconscious and reflexive act to recreate the beautiful style.

"I am proficient." I acknowledged before a small, fond smile grew because of memories. "My sister was always far more adept. She was one of those people who exceeded at almost everything. It used to frustrate me to no end."

"Were you close?" Romanoff asked with a curious look that I was having a hard time deciding was real or fabricated.

"She was one of the most fair, intelligent, and genuine people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. We were very close."

"What was her name?" Was Agent Romanoff's next question, spoken as she sorted the papers making up the contract into a neat, orderly pile.

"Maybe I will tell you one day." I offered, knowing it was most likely a false offer since I had no intention of telling her. It was out of politeness that I said so; I was not able to find a more polite way to say no. "Romanoff zvuchit gorazdo bol'she." ( _ **Romanoff sounds much more Russian.)**_

"Otkuda vy znayete, chto ya govoril po-russki?" She asked in return, an intensely penetrating look displayed on her face that, oddly enough, unnerved me. I thought on it for a moment before deciding there was nothing to hide at this point. _**(How did you know that I spoke Russian?)**_

"YA ne znayu. YA videl tebya, ty kazalsya znakomym, a potom russkiy tol'ko chto vyshel izo rta." I confessed, shrugging my shoulders unapologetically. _**(I do not know. I saw you, you seemed familiar, and then Russian just came out of my mouth.)**_

"Have you ever visited Russia?" Romanoff pressed, which made a frown appear before I could prevent it as I thought of possible reasons she seemed so interested.

"Twice. One time on a vacation with a friend, more to Siberia than anything else, and the other on Business." I answered slowly and my head tilted in confusion. "The first time was in the 1940's. The second in `2002."

"So it IS true." Natasha chuckled disbelievingly

"It being what exactly?" I inquired before realizing she meant my age. I have spent the last few years not pretending because of Camilla that I forget it is not old news for everyone. "Oh. Yes, I suppose it is."

"What does one do with unlimited time?" Natasha asked rhetorically, though I intended to give her the same answer I have given for the last twenty years.

"More than you would guess but less than you would believe." I offered and flashed my teeth when she snorted in amusement.

"You are going to be a pain in the ass, aren't you?" Natasha accused while pointing the pen at me as though it were a sword.

"Most likely." I confirmed, looking sideways at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent before mentally shrugging to myself and hoping she could take a joke. "Most of the time it is the men I court that say I am a pain in the arse. Though I suppose they mean literally…"

Natasha froze for a moment and I stopped as well, though more hesitantly, wondering if she would have a terrible reaction. I knew I was going to enjoy her company as soon as she burst into laughter, shaking her head and once again walking out of the classroom.

"I'm not sure what makes me want to laugh more." Natasha laughed, pausing when a fresh wave came over. When she finally stopped she took a deep breath, grinning, and finished her earlier thought. "I'm not sure which is more funny, the joke you made or the fact that you referred to sex as 'courting'."

I hummed in recognition, allowing my mind to wander as we traveled through the building and then the campus itself. There was not much more talking between us because of the short walk but I knew this would not be the last time I would see her. After all, tomorrow is my first official day of being 'on call' with S.H.I.E.L.D.

 **A/N: Chapter Two! I was a little sad that I only have one review but instead I am going to be glad that someone enjoyed it enough to review!**

 **Ougley: Thank you! I hope you continue to read and review, I'm really excited about it.**

 **Playlist:**

 **Song = Artist = Scene**

 **Trouble is a Friend - Lenka - Natasha walks into the classroom**

 **Smile - Mikky Ekko - End conversation with Natasha**


	3. Chapter 3: Homecoming

**A/N: At bottom of page is reference to some of the UK's slang I've been using - sorry if it doesn't make sense! Remember that google is your friend! Also, playlist is down there, and it's a good one this time! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Homecoming

I pushed the scrub brush back and forth against the floor, the bleach making my nose wrinkle in disgust as the harsh, bitter scent flooded my nasal passages. The tile floor was almost halfway done and that would see the last of the house was cleaned and sterilized. I paused for a moment when I heard my phone ringing down the stairs, grabbing the bluetooth out of my pocket, I slipped it into my ear and hit the talk button to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey Auggie!" Camilla greeted as enthusiastically as ever before asking questions in her normal, rapid fire way. "Are you on your way home yet? How long until you get here? Has S.H.I.E.L.D asked you to do anything for them yet?"

"No, less than twenty four hours, and no." I answered amusedly, getting back on my knees in order to continue scrubbing with one hand. "I'm almost done at the property I rented this past year. Hopefully I will be leaving within the hour."

"You're doing your weird bleach everything, wipe it down with boiling water, no trace you were ever there thing again, aren't you?" Camilla accused despite knowing very well that was what I was doing.

"Of course." I scoffed, backing up slightly to continue scrubbing. "I cannot leave any DNA laying around. Who knows what it would reveal? Not to mention, I am over 100 years old - the longer I can keep my DNA out of a system the longer I don't have to worry about another thing when I fake my death then create a new identity."

"Yeah, yeah. You're a brilliant mastermind, I get it." Camilla said dismissively "I haven't picked anything up recently, it's pretty silent out there right now."

"That is not ever a good sign." I sighed

"Just concentrate on getting home. No sense in worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet."

With a soft click Camilla ended the call between the two of us. I scrubbed furiously, my mind thinking about the last time everything had been this calm. That was right before all of hell broke loose and the first time I ever was caught by a human.

* * *

 ** _*Flashback*_**

* * *

 _I jumped from rooftop to rooftop, one eye constantly on the shadowy figure hurrying down the street as if being chased by the devil himself. A despicable smile worked its way onto my face because if he only knew what was really after him - the devil may not sound quite so bad anymore._

 _His blood was calling me, driving me, beggin for me to rip his throat out. My mouth ached where I knew my fangs were hidden as I pictured piercing his skin as though it were nothing more than paper and then feeling the warm, savory liquid pool into my mouth. The first swallow was always the most amazing portion, it was when one was still surprised it was so good - right before the blood lust took over, forcing you to drain your victim dry._

 _Breaking out of my fantasy and focusing on my next meal, I watched him foolishly turn down an alleyway and saw my chance. With breakneck speed I ran across a wire leading from the building I was on to one across the street. As soon as my feet were on the roof of the building, I jumped down and landed right in front of the now terrified man._

" _Hello there." I practically purred, allowing for my fangs to finally show, knowing they would be visible to him even in the dim lighting of the alley. My eyes were turning from the normal black into a color resembling liquid gold._

" _W-What are you?" He stammered, backing away as he spoke and tripping over a trashbag due to his lack of awareness._

" _Tsk, tsk." I tutted, appearing behind him and lifting him up by the back of his shirt. A noise behind us distracted me, making me frown and force my fangs painfully back into my gums. MY eye color faded and when I knew I was presentable, I turned to see if anyone was watching. The alley, and the road beyond it, was abandoned. Disregarding it as most likely some animal, I turned back around to find the man running. I snickered to myself as I ran and stopped in front of him, the look of terror on his face giving me a sick sense of glee._

" _Oh God." He all but whispered, freezing up completely._

" _Not quite." Letting my fangs back out, I advanced on the man, rolling my eyes when he began to scream for someone to help him. I drew my face back from his neck and made eye contact, watching in satisfaction as he quieted down at the same time as his pupils dilated._

" _You are going to be silent and face your death like a man, traitor." I told him easily, my voice taking on a musical quality as I pushed the power into it. "Before I end your worthless life, what information have you given them? Names, targets?"_

" _I will be silent and face my death like a man." He repeated with a glazed look on his face and no emotion in his voice whatsoever. "My contact in the German army asked me to get the names of anyone we know hiding Jews. I stole schematics for two of our bases of operations on the war front for them as well but they did not ask for those. I thought they might reward me further because of them."_

" _What names did you give? Is it too late to save them? Where are the plans?" I asked while keeping a tight grip on his shirt. I once had someone unexpectedly break my hold over them and I was not eager for a repeat performance._

" _They are all dead already. The plans are in my bag." The man gestured to a satchel resting against his hip. Curling my lip in disgust, trying to think if anymore questions would be important while suppressing the red hazy cloud of anger from the deaths of innocents because of his greed._

 _I tore into his throat with a unrestrained movement, most likely spilling blood all over myself but too famished to give a damn. Human blood, straight from the source, is like a drug - it is addictive and if you do not have a constant supply, you will begin to withdrawal. I lasted three days before it was too much - the longest I have gone is a week. By then I could barely move, think, or do much of anything besides stumble and kill the first human I saw, my body in agonizing pain from the withdrawal._

 _I drained the traitor until he was almost completely out of blood and then dropped him on the dirty, trash covered ground of the alley. What was one more pile of garbage in an alley littered with it? I grabbed newspaper from around, a few board, and anything I could use to make a pretty good pyre._

 _It was as I was grabbing the papers and stashing them into my own bag that I heard the distinctive click of a pistol being cocked. Scowling at how careless I had been, knowing it had to have been the same cause of the noise earlier, I turned around to face my would be assailant._

" _Put down the schematics of the operations center. Now."_

 _I put my hands in the air, showing that I did not intend to do any harm, carefully scrutinizing the woman in front of me pointing a gun. A posh accent, mid length brown hair, and a uniform - obviously military. The smart thing to do is hand the papers over, wipe her memory, and then be on my merry way. I suspect she saw my parlor trick, however, because she was carefully avoiding looking me in the eyes. Smart bird, that one._

" _I do not want any trouble." I said calmly, reaching one hand into my pocket to bring the papers out slowly. "Here they are. Would you like me to set them down or bring them to you?"_

" _Toss them." She ordered with her lips pressed together in a thin line._

 _I did as she asked, tossing the schematics over so that they were laying next to her foot. I glanced back at the dead body behind me casually, wondering what she was going to do about this, and waited for her to make the next move._

" _Can you always do that?" She asked suddenly, elaborating when I tilted my head in confusion at the seemingly random question. "Control people, make them tell you things or do things."_

" _Not always, no, but most of the time." I said cautiously, hoping she wasn't going to ask me to turn her. I hated vampires, I kill any I have come across and have the last fifty years since I was bit. I would kill myself if I did not think I will be cursed in the next life as well - there were whispers of a cure but I haven't had any luck attempting to locate it._

" _I need you to do something for me. It's for the war effort." She said fiercely, tentatively lowering her gun._

" _And why would I bother to even lift a bloody finger for you, let alone do a favor?" I asked with a sneer on my face._

" _Because you knew he was a traitor, same as I did, and you killed him for it." She said, picking the plans up and putting them into a bag. "You.. f-fed off of him and I think you chose him so you wouldn't be a monster. You helped England, your country, and I am asking you do so again."_

 _I sighed, pinching the top of my nose with my pointer finger and my thumb. Whatever this favor was, it was going to be a pain in my arse, I can tell already. This bird is obviously mental and a tad deranged to still be hanging around a vampire after he has just ate. A voice in the back of my head asked if chasing dead end leads about a long shot was any better? Maybe I could help save lives instead of being someone who takes them?_

" _God save the Queen." I said wearily, sarcasm practically dripping off of my tongue. I grabbed a match from my back pocket, struck it to light the fire, and then dropped it on top of the body. "Let's go then."_

" _Wait, what's your name?" The girl hurriedly walked after me, her practical shoes making little noise on the cobblestones as she moved._

" _August Murray." I drawled, not bothering to hide the smirk from watching as the bird had to move faster in order to keep up with my pace._

" _Nice to meet you." She replied, pausing and staring at me with an expectant look. I ignored it, chuffed to bits on the inside at the growing frustration practically exuding from her before she eventually snapped. "Well? Aren't you going to be polite and ask my name?"_

" _Why should I care?" I asked with eyebrows raised - was she serious?_

" _Yes, you should. We are going to be working together, it is not just going to be a quick task I have for us both, so it is vital we cooperate. I am trying to keep an open mind and be civil, doing a pretty admirable job of it, in fact, if I do say so myself." The bird was lecturing me with the most indignant look on her face mixed with fury and determination. It was actually quite spectacular to watch. "You are being an arse despite the fact that I just watched you drink someone's blood, which you are covered in, and then factor in the mind control? I have a right-"_

" _Alright." I cut in with my voice raised a little so that I could be heard over her rant. She must have taken it as anger, however, because she looked quite terrified and one hand was on her gun. "What is it?"_

" _What is what, exactly?" She asked with trepidation on her face_

" _Your name." I said slowly, as though talking to a mental person - which I was not convinced she wasn't yet._

" _Peggy. My name is Peggy Carter."_

* * *

 ** _*End Flashback*_**

* * *

I smiled, remembering the first time I met Peggy and how I had not realized how much she would change me. If someone asked me when I began to change, when I found my humanity buried deep inside myself once more - that is the moment I would point them to.

Peggy Carter was a force of nature; Not many people could stand the shock of watching a vampire feed and kill a man by draining him of blood. Only Peggy would see that moment, put aside the revulsion she felt, and deduce the motives behind the action quickly followed by how it could help her. The only person audacious enough to order a vampire around and then ask him for a favor, undaunted by their bad mood. Only when they proceed to criticize the aforementioned vampire on manners and equality.

I resumed scrubbing the floor with a renewed sense of vigor, finishing up the last of the cleaning within twenty minutes. My eyes scanned the house one last time before I left, making sure I did not forget anything or make a mistake. When I was satisfied I locked the door, closing it behind me, before putting the keys in a potted plant beside the door so the landlord would be able to find them easily.

The last thing that was required of myself prior to being able to start the journey home was to drop off the final grades for my class. I was quite proud of the group I taught this year, almost all of them scored a B or Higher. The rest, five students, scored a C - No one failed! Even that git Matthew Gilliam passes with a B, nothing short of a miracle. The grades for the test were put into my system but the teachers were required to write the final grade to avoid attempts to tamper with the grades from technologically savvy students. This is why I found myself walking up to the school and into the office, and handing my slip with every students name on them to the male aide helping out in the office today. I turned to leave, eager to get on the road so I might be home earlier than expected, only to have the bloke behind the counter call my name. My first name, which is odd for a student to do but I had always admired confidence in others.

"Yes?" I asked when he said nothing else, just staring at me with a strange look in his eye. He had blonde hair that fell to his ears in the most interesting curls. He had bright green eyes that made him look extraordinarily delicate and innocent.

"Everyone says you're leaving campus?" The boy said it like a question but the words were meant as a statement; possibly a combination of the two. I eyed him and the office in general, noting that it was strange no one else was here. This put me on my guard instantly, making me wary of the bloke but I forced myself to smile casually.

"Yes, I am moving to Connecticut today." I informed him indulgently

"That's awful!" He blurted out before realizing what he said. When his brain caught up with his mouth I felt a bolt of desire shoot through me as excess blood flushed into his face from embarrassment, causing the delightful pink spreading across his cheeks.

"Why is that, Mr.." I knew he had not ever been a student of mine. I would have remembered. Right now I was talking myself out of going through with the unconscious plan I already formed to suck him dry and take care of the body.

"Austin, sir. Just Austin." Austin introduced himself in an almost shy manner, glancing down when he met my eyes with his own. "It's awful because I was going to take your class this coming semester - everyone says you are really awesome. They won't find someone half as good."

"Ah, well do not worry, Austin. I am sure they will not hire some numpty to teach my class." I comforted, not sure how to go about leaving while in the middle of the discussion. Something about that look was making me wary and for some reason I feel like I should know what it is conveying but I can't pin it.

"What is a numpty?" Austin asked, coming around to the front of the office and walking over to the water jug to fill up a bottle that he was carrying in his hand.

"A incompetent or unwise person." I answered distractedly, my eyes glued to the sinfully tight trousers Austin was wearing that showcased his arse perfectly. This had my mind going into dangerous territory, wondering what that same arse would look like if Austin were starkers or how it would feel in my hands while I snogged the daylight out of him, soft and pliable? Hard and firm? When my mind started coming up with images of how he would feel around me if I shagged him, I snapped myself out of it just as Austin was straightening up from the water jug, a small smirk on his face. I adjusted the red scarf around my throat uneasily at the knowing look from the blonde.

"So who do the grades go to?" Austin asked, something I actually did not know. I shrugged as a response, making Austin chortle, and then I suggested he leave it in one of the normal secretaries mailboxes.

"Good idea!" Austin agreed cheerfully, turning around and walking over to the mailboxes. It seemed as though he were walking purposefully slow to torment me with his bum, mental images of gripping those curls in my hand as…

"What?" I asked realizing Austin asked me a question but I had gotten lost in my thoughts again, especially with the tan exposed flesh I could see because he had to reach high to reach the mailbox.

"I said do you think you could help me with three lessons really quickly? It shouldn't take more than an hour." Austin asked hopefully, scuffing his foot on the ground, looking up at me with wide eyes that were pleading me to stay. "I also noticed you looking around wondering where everyone is and the truth is they went home and told me to lock up when I was done at four. It's been so boring today."

"Bloody hell." I swore under my breath, watching his grin grow even wider as he heard my curse and knew it meant I was staying. "Yes then, let's get you sorted. I can spare a tad of time helping you."

"Awesome! You stay here and I'll grab my bag!" Austin called back as he was already heading to the back offices. I waited for two minutes, confused as to why he has not appeared yet. Surely the office cannot be that big, can it?

"I am acting like a barmy person." I muttered to myself, rubbing my face a little as I waite.

"Mr. Harker!" Austin called breathlessly, making me instantly on alert and forget how knackered I was moments ago. What could have happened? "Mr. Harker, can you help? I'm kind of stuck."

"What could possibly happen to become stuck on the way to get a book- oh."

I was gobsmacked at the sight that greeted me when I turned the corner, making my way straight to where his voice had come from after leaping over the desk. My pace had slowed to a casual walk as I realized there was no danger. There were desks pushed up against the wall, a copy machine, and a few cabinets to store food in. What caught me off guard was the firm, round ,and pliable looking arse displayed towards the door.

Austin lay on two desks, fully spread out to show off his body in the best way possible, and it certainly did the job he intended it to do because I felt myself harden in my trousers. When I saw that he had handcuffed himself to the cabinet doors in front of the desk, making sure he could not get away, I was throbbing. The randy lad was silent as I absorbed the scene in front of me. When he breathed out, it made his bum cleavage part for a moment which exposed the tight ring of muscle that was begging to get stuffed.

"You are certainly gagging for it, are you not?" I murmured as I walked forward, enjoying the way his bum flexed and the goosebumps rising on his skin - those reactions simply from hearing my voice. "How old are you?"

"23" Austin replied breathlessly

"Tell me what you want." I requested, my voice getting husky as more desire pooled in my stomach.

"I want you." Austin moaned as he rutted against the wood of the desk, making a frustrated keening noise when it did not provide the friction he desperately wanted.

"I hope you are aware this is a one off." I told Austin as I came around to where his face was, off to the side from the handcuffs so they would not get in my way, I noted.

"I know, I know, please." Austin begged, sending another bolt of heat to my arousal. He was flushed, heart beating quickly and the blood running so sweet in his voice, singing directly to my mind as a siren would.

I leaned over him, bringing my mouth to his ear to speak lowly with my voice husky and rough from a mixture of sexual desire and blood lust. I murmured every single thing I was going to do to his body, that I was going to make sure he was so knackered when we were done he would collapse where he was. I was practically delirious and a red haze descended across my vision as I unconsciously let the monster I normally kept contained out to play for awhile.

* * *

 *****Unable to post sex scene on because of guidelines, if interested in reading this part that I do have written, message me your email and I will send it to you personally.*****

* * *

I heard my phone ringing in the background, waking me up, and I rolled over to grab it - making me fall off of the desk completely. A desk? What the bloody hell was going- Right, Austin. My eyes drifted over to the younger boy, hoping he was still sleeping so I could sneak out without any awkward words, but every single thought in my mind came to a stuttering stop at his body.

Bite marks, from my fangs, were on his neck and chest. There were more on his right wrist, one his side, and a large on on his arse itself. Blood was smeared on him and myself, I found, looking down. Horrified I stood up and sprinted to the bathroom, collapsing in front of the toilet and shoving my hand down my throat to regurgitate the blood. I tried, tried, and tried but my body would not let the delicious liquid go. Already I felt a hundred times more strong than I have in years - not to mention that I felt warm instead of cold. Normally I always felt just a little cold but now I was warm all over in the best way.

I stood up and got a hold over myself. Freaking out was not going to do anything to help get yourself out of this situation. Alright, so the door was locked, no one could get into the school without Austin letting them in, which means no one would have seen them together. Now, all I have to do is heal his injuries and then compel him to forget the whole thing.

I walked back into the room and instantly crouched beside Austin, wiping a sweaty and bloodstained blonde curl away from his face. Sighing, I brought my wrist hesitatingly to my mouth and tore into the skin with my fangs. I swallowed the blood in my mouth, which doesn't taste like anything at all compared to other blood. Finally I brought my wrist to Austin's already red mouth, swollen and bruised from the aggressive snogging and shagging session we participated in together, and then I carefully dropped five drops of blood so they would slide down his throat.

I watched in anticipation as he swallowed, still passed out from earlier, and then I let out the breath I was not aware I was holding as his wounds began to heal. First the one on his arse, then side, chest, and finally the four on his neck were closed up and erased forever. I shook him awake then, knowing what I would have to do. His eyes opened sleepily, giving me a lazy good morning with a giant smile on his face. His green eyes lit up and he opened his mouth, about to tell me something, but I brought my finger to his lips. He was an open book as far as facial expressions go - the confusion was so obvious. I told him it was a one off but the boy had this look on his face, the one where he was gathering the courage to say something he wanted to say that I may take badly. I could tell he was about to speak anyway so I looked into his eyes and drew him in, my voice taking on the musical lilt I was now accustomed too as my voice was imbued with the power of compulsion. His green eyes dilated, leaving only a tiny sliver of green surrounding the huge black pupil.

"You are going to wait until I leave to follow these orders - but I want you to stay absolutely silent until I do leave." I ordered with no hesitation or sympathy. "After I am gone you will shower in the gym, get rid of all the clothes you wore today by burning them, steal some gym clothes, and then lock up before heading home. As soon as I am out of your sight, you will forget everything that has happened that had to do with you and I."

Austin repeated the admittedly wordy command back to me and I stood up, satisfied it would stick. I dusted my hands off, cleaned all the blood, and dashed to my car. My shoulders sank a little when I realized I was at the school for almost four hours. The first thing I did, after I turned the car on and began my long drive home, was call Camilla. I had received 12 missed calls from Cammy, the nickname she assigned herself, as well as 4 text messages.

"Auggie." Camilla growled dangerously

"Hey, Camilla." I replied, trying to downplay it in the hope it may ease her anger a smidge.

"Hey? You haven't answered your phone in four fucking hours Auggie! I was worried sick! Hey is all that you are going to say?" Camilla yelled over the line and making me wince, the mess of blood and other fluids covering Austin earlier flashing through my mind and making the curdling guilt in my stomach all the more shameful.

"I apologize, Camilla, I was detained. I did not mean to be out of contact or I would have informed you." I explained in the hope she would forgive me in her excitement to see me.

"Where are you?" Camilla demanded, thankfully not asking by what or who I was detained.

I told her my general location, the time of expected arrival, and we talked about the halloween costume she was currently sewing at home. Apparently it was a pumpkin and so far it looked like a squash costume with one leg hole and three for arms. I laughed when Camilla told me she had a bandaid on almost every finger because she kept poking herself and even though she scolded me for laughing at her, she was good humored about the entire attempt. That was the thing about Camilla, she was never afraid to laugh at herself but she also was never afraid to get back up and try once more.

We spoke for about an hour before Camilla had to leave in order to go pick someone up. I smiled, knowing exactly who 'the person' Camilla was picking up was. I stayed my tongue about them, as usual in our exchanges, and just let myself drift in and out of thought as I drove along in my Honda Civic LX on the road with music in the background.

* * *

 ** _*Flashback*_**

* * *

" _I need you to get us into that pub without anyone asking any questions." Peggy explained, subtly pointing out the intended destination._

" _I must say, you most likely may fiddle that man at the door far more effectively than I ever could." I replied, batting my eyelashes at her as I used the saccharine voice I reserved for taking the mickey out of someone or when I am laying with someone I have taken as a lover. "Even I may be starting to fancy you because of that dress."_

" _Are you always this much of a cheeky berk or is it just around me?" inquired Peggy with a scowl, clouding her face with anger at my dismissive attitude._

" _As you wish. I recommend you relax, however." I advised and then braced myself for the reprimand._

" _Relax? You are acting like a daft wanker without a care in the world while we go into enemy territory. How do you expect me to relax?" Peggy fired back_

" _Would you like to come a cropper?" I retorted with my eyes narrowed at the foul tone she was using while speaking with me. "I thought you were a chancer, a bolshie! Not some bloody berk who makes tea for an airy fairy chap! I do not know why you bottled it but I am not going in that boozer with a bounder. I am Brick. Now are we going to march in there and bash on? Or should we just bunk off now?"_

" _Ta, you are bang on. I was acting like a right twit, doubting myself - I'm sorry for going spare for a minute." Peggy apologized, rolling her shoulders back._

" _In your defense, I am a jolly amount to take in by myself, let alone what you have been doing all day." I empathized before I realized I was doing it until I noticed Peggy's small smile, making my scowl come back in full force. "What?"_

" _It's nowt. You are just peculiar and more complex than I originally thought." Peggy said, the smile still on her face that made it appear as though she knew a secret no one else was privy to. "Now that we are done with our row, ready to sort them out?"_

" _That is something I may be able to muck in." I responded with a growing sense of excitement that only danger, hunting, and sex could give me. The only way to feel alive anymore._

* * *

 ** _*End Flashback*_**

* * *

I drove through the night, sacrificing sleep for the thought of my own bed in my home. It has been a year since I have been home and I missed it quite a bit. My heart lightened when I saw the almost twenty foot stone walls and the reinforced gate that would allow myself and my car to enter the grounds. I drove up to the gate with an easy familiarity, hitting the button on my car that lifted the portion of wall covering the keypad.

I entered the code quickly, then pressed my fingers to the fingerprint scanner, and finally kept my eyes open and still as the retinal scanner did its job. As soon as all three were verified, the gate swung open soundlessly and I drove forward up the admittedly long drive way. The grounds were covered in trees and at the center of the property, which covered 10 acres in total, was the Manor. It sat upon a sort of plateau, the highest point in the property, so it would have optimal visibility.

The smooth, stone driveway eventually led to my house. The outside was made from stone, the bottom half, and vinyl siding on parts of the upper half. It was light grey with light wood support beams to give it a distinct look which was also aided by the roof's darker gray shingles. My favorite part was the large windows all over the house, making it seem so open and letting in a lot of natural light. With the slight window tint I had on the windows, the sun did not bother me even a bit like it normally would. I rolled up to the house and hit the button to open the door so I could pull in. Once I was properly parked, I decided to collect my things later and went to the door leading into the interior of the home.

The door from the garage came in near the front door and when you walked into the first room there are six large windows taking up almost the entire wall, only a little stone at the top, bottom, and a sliver in the middle as well. The ceilings are high, 20 feet at least, and stained a light brown that gives the house a warm feeling. I looked towards the left of where the couches were, sitting out and facing the large windows, and saw the stone fireplace burning merrily.

Walking straight ahead leads into the dining room, which was surrounded by floor to ceiling windows and in the center was a dining room table to fit twelve people made out of solid oak with matching chairs. The floor was a smooth, gray polished wood that looked absolutely brilliant with the dark beige walls and pure white trim surrounding the windows and doors leading to the outside terrace. There was a nice chandelier hanging above the table in order to make the room a little more posh.

On the left is the entrance to the kitchen, with shining marble countertops and stainless steel appliances. All of the cabinets and everything, not including the counter, was made from a dark solid wood. The bar is usually where I have breakfast, it being capable of fitting three people, and if I have company I serve them in the breakfast room, which is the room to the right of the front door, and is set up much like the dining room.

Aside from the breakfast room, the stairs are also on that side of the house and they led to the upstairs. The first door on the right is my personal library and if you continue up the stairs you will find all of the bedrooms. The master bedroom is on the right, with french doors that lead out to a deck where there is a grill and a few comfortable chairs. From that spot on the deck, it is easy to see the best view around - large mountains that take the breathe away from you. In the rest of the bedroom, which is done with twee hardwood floors and has two large windows not including the glass french doors, is a large king sized bed and a rocking chair perpendicular to the fireplace. The master bathroom has two large vanities and sinks, a jacuzzi bathtub, and a tiled shower capable of fitting four people comfortably.

Walking out of my bedroom, there is a walkway that is above the entrance to the living room and the front door and it has the same hard wood floors as well as wooden railing. That leads to the four more bedrooms with their own bathrooms. All of the bedrooms were quite large, capable of fitting two queen beds inside as well as more furniture, and with a lot of windows surrounding the rooms.

On the other side of the house is another living room, this one longer and with less windows. Instead it has two doors leading to the balcony, a warm fireplace, and a spare bookshelf next to a bay window which had a window seat. The media room is what it technically is, considering the large plasma screen television, but I rarely watched the tele. The last wing of the house was an in law suite; it had a kitchenette, two more bedrooms, and an exit to the outside of it's own.

The outside garden always filled me with a sense of pride and happiness because it was a gorgeous sight. With the mountains in the background, wild flowers and plants, an outdoor jacuzzi and then a building near the house that was a sweat lodge.

I turned around when I heard the sound of bare feet padding on stone and I threw my arms open as the small bundle barrelled into me. I laughed, picking the small bundle of coats and twirling it around. It began screaming with laughter, giggling and bellowing in excitement. I stopped twirling around and hugged the body close to my body, breathing in the familiar smell that accompanied the sense of home, and settling when small arms wrapped around my neck comfortably.

"Uncle Auggie! I missed you!" A little girl's voice came out, excited and sincere but muffled by the many layers covering her. I adjusted the everpresent crimson scarf around my neck and brought the hood of her coat up a little so she could speak properly.

"I missed you as well, Tinker." I replied fondly, kissing the five year old on her red nose.

"You can't call me that anymore Uncle Auggie! I'm good now! That's what mi-mish-michovus children are called!" The dark brown haired little girl complained, making me snort indelicately.

"When did you grow up so much, Piper?" I questioned her with a bewildered expression before smirking a little and correcting her. "It is mischievous by the way."

"I didn't grow! You got shorter Uncle Auggie!" Piper replied, holding both hands over her mouth to smother the giggles she burst into at my insulted expression. Piper grinned, showing off the two missing teeth in her mouth proudly, before tackling me and wrapping her arms around my legs in another hug.

Chuckling, I moved my leg to take a step, Piper laughing as she was easily picked up and carried along by me as she clung on desperately. Piper explained to me that she has been learning a lot from the tutors, that she had just gotten back from identifying plants and trees for science class, and that her Mom only had to help her with it on two questions.

"Good job, Piper!" I praised, lowering my hand to her level for a low five which she gave very enthusiastically. "Speaking of your Mum, where is she, Piper?"

"Mom is making dinner so we can all eat!" Piper said, falling off my leg with a plop on the wooden floors. Scrambling to her feet as if she had not just jumped ship in search for food, I watched her skip away with a elated feeling. It truly was amazing to be home. I walked down the hallway and smelled the air carefully, my mouth watering when I smelt fresh blood in the air. I opened the door and walked in, beaming at the head of messy dark hair turned away from me.

"About time you showed up." The woman said at the same time as she began chopping potatoes into edible pieces. She was done in only a minute and set the knife down, coming around the island to embrace me tightly, holding him for a moment until pulling away a tad to smack me lightly in the chest. "I missed you. Don't scare me like that."

"I know." I replied, looking down guiltily.

"It's okay, it's good to have you home again. Now, go get changed and clean up, it's time for dinner in five minutes."

My smile was so wide that it showed off most of my teeth without needing to fake it. Her eyes, which were slightly too far apart, and freckled face beamed back at me happily. "Thank you, Camilla. It's good to be back at the Manor. Back home."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everybody! Another chapter for your enjoyment! :) I'd like to say thank you so much for any of you who followed/favorited my story! It makes me happy inside to think people enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it. I worked really hard on this chapter, letting you learn more about Auggie, and I assure you the Avengers will be coming fairly soon! Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **House Address that the house is based off of: 109 TIMBER LEIF Ridge, THE BLUE MOUNTAINS, Ontario, N0H 1J0**

* * *

 **Less Well Known British Terminology:**

 **Come a Cropper - fail miserably**

 **Bolshie - Rebel**

 **Chancer - risk taker**

 **Airy fairy - lacking in strength and character**

 **Chap - guy**

 **Bottled it - used to denote that someone has lost their nerve**

 **Boozer - Pub**

 **Bounder - useless person**

 **Brick - a person you can rely on**

 **Bang On - go on regardless of the problems you are facing**

 **Bunk Off - to call off sick or not fulfil your duties.**

 **Nowt - Nothing**

 **Muck In - help with something or assist**

 **Ta - thank you**

 **Spare - to have a fit, lose your shite**

* * *

 **Playlist: Song - Artist - Scene**

 **Kill of the Night - Gin Wigmore - The first Flashback**

 **Add it Up - Violent Femmes - Auggie checking Austin's arse out and onward.**

 **Ex's and Oh's - Elle King - Wiping Austin's memory**

 **Weirdo - The Vaccines - Argument between Auggie and Peggy**

 **Stand By Me - Denmark + Winter - Driving up to the house (end of chapter)**

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading, I hope you review/favorite/follow/PM me to let me know you are enjoying!**

 **~Rache**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I rewrote Chapter Four because I did not like it… so here it is rewritten, hope you enjoy, Chapter Five soon to come!**

Chapter Four

**Flashback- Sometime In The Early 1940's**

 _I walked confidently up to the man guarding the front door of the VIP pub, watching Peggy out of the corner of my eye and I was grudgingly impressed by her strut - it certainly gave off the appearance that we belong here._

" _Who are you?" The man grunted at us, raising the list of guests to match our names._

" _Actually, we are not on the list." I said lowly so that only Peggy, the Guard, and I could hear. The statement had the desired effect of getting the Guard to look up with narrowed eyes, after which I caught him like a fly gets caught in a web. With his pupils dilated and a glazed over expression on his face, I made him repeat my words as I spoke them in the musical tone that comes over me when I compel someone._

" _You are going to let my friend and I into the pub without causing any trouble. You are not going to tell anyone about seeing us or meeting us; you will not remember our faces or any description of us whatsoever."_

 _The guard repeated my orders as soon as the words finished falling from my lips and I flashed a victorious look at Peggy as he unhooked the rope to allow us entry. She looked disbelieving, as if she had not expected it to truly work. I nudged her unnoticeably as we descended some stairs and entered a circular room with tables, music, and booze galore. My nose wrinkled in disgust from the oppressive cloud of tobacco smoke hanging in the air and Peggy shot me a questioning look because of the nudge I had given her._

" _You looked out of it. What is our next move?" I inquired as I led her towards a bar, ordering a water for myself and Peggy ordered a lemonade. Peggy leaned forward to be heard over the music, careful not to speak too loudly in case someone was close enough to eavesdrop._

" _The man we are searching for is Guntram Hagen. He is a scientist working for the German military, under one man in particular. We need to get his ID to swap it with the fake one I have for him, then I am going to use it to get into the base." Peggy summarized as quickly as possible, laughing as if I just told a joke that was semi-amusing._

 _The server brought our drinks back and I smiled in lieu of saying thank you to the waiter. I took a sip of water and set the cup back down, waiting until the waiter was far enough away to speak again._

" _Do you have a portrait of the man we are looking for?" I wondered, hoping there was more to go off of then the sub par description provided in the mission file. My eye caught a small group making its way into the hallway leading towards the loo. I was struck by inspiration. Turning quickly to Peggy while hoping I don't have to explain myself, I expressed the urgency using my eyes and basic body language._

 _I casually made my way, an unhurried pace to ensure it did not seem as though there was anything crucial or untoward going on. I walked up to the men's lavatory with an exasperated look at the two men standing on either side of the loo. I grinned devilishly at them both before catching them in my compulsion effortlessly and command them to stay right in front of the door while Guntram and I had a little chat._

 _At the end of a trough line is the man, described by his file and promoted for it within his own, as a heinous fuck. Experimenting on humans like guinea pigs, the superiority complex the Nazi's have makes my stomach turn with quasiness. The oblivious twit still has not realized he is not alone; Only a fool places that much faith in another human being. The only person you can trust is yourself._

" _Hello." I greeted, purposefully projecting my voice to be louder than necessary to startle the German._

" _Who are you?" He asked, hurriedly trying to zip his trousers._

 _As soon as the button snapped and his trousers were secure on his waist, I flat out ran at him and gripped his posh tie in one hand, wrinkling the bloody thing as I lifted Gutnam with up forcefully. His feet dangled in the air, kicking at my shins harmlessly, and I wait until I have him under control to allow him to slump back to the floor._

" _Stand up." I demanded with a sneer watching as he picked himself off of the ground. "Is there anyway to differentiate between your badge and this one?"_

 _I handed him the badge and watched as he took his own, examining them closely side by side. I waited impatiently to see if Peggy's fake badge would pass the man's scrutinization. The man handed me the fake badge back and shook his head no to indicate there were no visible differences._

" _Hand me your badge and take this one." I ordered, switching the two out quickly and stuffing the real one into my pocket. "Are there any pass codes? Anything at all someone should know in order to go there and not be caught trespassing?"_

" _Yes - there is a combination lock blocking access to the high value assets and prisoners. It has to be manually unlocked with the pass code as well unlocked remotely by a computer in the bridge." Hagan explained in a flat, despondent tone of voice._

" _Do your bodyguards have their own key cards?"_

" _Yes." Guntram observed_

" _Wait here." I told him, not bothering to listen to him confirm the orders before I was marching over to the lavatory exit that leads to the hall. I pulled the door open and looked over both of the dazed looking security lackeys before unceremoniously yanking the shorter one inside the loo. I made eye contact impatiently, tapping my foot against the floor as I waited for the compulsion to take effect, watching as his eyes widened and my voice took on a musical lilt that was always there but much more noticeable while compelling someone. "Give me your badge. Now."_

 _The munter reached into his dress shirt and pulled a necklace off from around his neck. On the laminated badge was the company name, his name, and the mailing address. I glanced at the pocket watch stored in the pocket of my Black Field Marshall coat and startled when I realized I have been gone from the dining area of the restaurant for almost ten minutes. I poked my head out to grab the third guy who was waiting in the hall with a lost expression._

 _Groaning in irritation, I grabbed the dim looking guard and pulled him into the Lav. I captured him in the compulsion as well, feeling the strain of trying to compel too many people at once, I quickly told them to completely forget about anything that happened the last fifteen minutes and to forget I even exist. Once they repeated the words I slipped out of the bathroom just as they began to blearily look around, dazed and lost as to how they got back there._

" _Long bathroom break?" Peggy asked_

 _I grinned at her, feeling pretty alive at the moment, excited to show her that not only did I get one badge, but two so I can come with her. I put one in a napkin, sliding it over to her easily, and she looked back up with excitement making her eyes appear to shine. I put another one in a napkin and slid it over as well, watching as she confusedly opened it and then I felt my smile falter when she folded the napkin back up and placed it on the table with a serious look on her face._

 _The excited feeling, the rush, I just recieved from getting the two badges was now sour, curdling like spoilt milk. For a second I forgot that I was a monster, I felt like any other person might - like I was actually making a difference. I should know by now not to believe in silly pipe dreams._

 _**End Flashback**_

"You know you really should think about investing in a gun." Cam said casually, leaning up against a support beam as she watched me throw daggers toward three targets.

"Guns run out of bullets." I grunted, hurling two more daggers at a rapid fire pace, one landing in the bullseye while the other the next ring out.

"You can run out of daggers." Camilla responded and I ignored her in favour of figuring out what I was doing differently with my left arm than my right. Why was it always off by six inches. Camilla turned when the phone rang and I threw the dagger at the same time, missing the target and hitting a rock next to it instead. I gave Camilla the middle finger as she snorted in laughter on her way to answer the telephone.

I frowned as I saw the tip of the dagger had barely broken off but it still broke. Distantly I heard Camilla arguing with someone, which was not like her considering the only people she was comfortable with enough to get into an argument was myself and Piper. I tucked my auburn hair behind my ears, focusing my hearing on where she was in the kitchen.

"He just got home and signed your contract three weeks ago, why does he have to come in?" Camilla's frustration was clear to hear and I know that it was only because she worried.

I blurred, reaching Camilla in ten seconds for a normally two minute walk. Cam did not even look slightly guilty as she rolled her eyes, went to the fridge and pulled out a fizzy drink named Dr. Pepper.

"Auggie speaking." I greeted politely, ignoring the incredulous look give to me by Camilla.

"Harker. It's Romanoff. I need you to come with me, Fury's orders." Natasha said in clipped tones, obviously riled up by the woman who answered the phone. The same woman who was sipping Dr. Pepper and playing a game called candy crush as if she could not hear him.

"Where do you want to meet?" I asked while dodging the orange Camilla threw at me out of frustration.

"Where are you now?"

"Need to know, Romanoff. I can meet you outside Bethany, Connecticut."

"Connecticut?"

"Twenty minutes?" I asked, ignoring the question while walking towards my room to grab my bag.

"Twenty minutes." Natasha confirmed in a clipped voice before the phone went dead.

"I can't believe you are leaving already." Camilla said as she followed me down the hall.

I turned to face her, frowning at the anxious look on her face. "I know you are worried but this is something I must do."

"What if they betray? Just want to use you as a means to an end?" countered Camilla, standing in my door as I threw my daggers into my bag and then slung it over my shoulder easily.

"I would regret not knowing." I replied, facing her with a patient expression. "I know you are worried but SHIELD is not AIM, Cam."

"I just can't lose you. Not after everything." Camilla's voice broke on the word after and I felt a twinge in my stomach.

"I will always come back." I promised "I have been searching for too long to give up now."

"Just… be careful." Camilla sighed while moving out of the way so I could pass by.

"I will see you soon. Tell Piper to behave." I never promised to be careful because I was generally not a careful person. I hated lying to those I cared for, so I tried to avoid it as often as possible.

I walked out of the house and got into my car, throwing it into drive and booking it to Bethany. I arrived there with five minutes to spare, sending Natasha my location through my cell phone and walking to the only clearing she would be able to land in. I waited three minutes before she touched down on the ground.

"Nice to see you again." I greeted as I walked up the ramp to enter the jet and saw her sitting on a chair while reading through a file.

"And you, Dr. Harker." was the reply I received as I sat on the bench next to her. The pilot lifted us up and I studied the woman beside me, watching as she skimmed the file.

"What is this mission?"

"We are going to collect a member for the Avenger's Initiative from Calcutta." Natasha responded, finally looking up at me.

I did not know what to say and thus we lapsed into silence, the sounds of the jet in the background. I wondered who we were going to retrieve but decided it honestly did not matter in the end. I needed to play the good soldier and hopefully Fury will hold up his end of the deal. Maybe then this nightmare will be over.

"Is it true?" Natasha asked suddenly, making my eyes slide over to meet hers.

"I am not sure I understand your inquiry." I said, tilting my head slightly.

"You are a hundred years old but you look like a twenty five year old. You don't age."

I inclined my head, a wry smile twisting bitterly on my lips as I thought of how much more simple life had been prior to getting bitten. Prior to the internet as well. "Do they say anything else about me?"

"No, not really. Fury only said he has no idea what you are, that the file never says why you never age, but that you knew one of the founders of SHIELD." Natasha stated with a blank face.

"True on all accounts." I nodded, grabbing my cannister of blood from my bag. I had enough to sustain me for two weeks in the bag so I was not worried but despite the fact that I had fed recently, the burn in the back of my throat from sitting near Natasha was distracting.

"How does it feel to be immortal?" Natasha asked

"It feels as though you are running down a hall, to get to a door, but when you open the door… it is just another hallway lying ahead of you, a door at the end of it." I struggled to explain, unwilling to go into detail on how indescribable it was to live such a long life.

"How did it happen?" She asked, raising an eyebrow sardonically. "Fountain of Youth?"

"This is not a gift. It is a curse." I replied softly, staring at the wall as I thought about all of the murders I committed, watching people I loved slowly age as I remained the same as the day I had been bitten.

"Oh come on, people would die to live forever." Natasha said as she leaned forward a little.

"This is not living." I said outloud, more to myself. "I am a creature of nightmares, bringing death and darkness to the world."

"Creature?" Natasha said questioningly with a calculating look aimed at me.

"Never mind." I said as the pilot let us know we would be arriving soon. She did not take her eyes off me though I simply ignored her, internally I was cringing. I had said too much if I intended to maintain my status as an unknown with SHIELD. Berating myself for my loose tongue, I brought out a book from the bag underneath the bench I brought with me from the house and I cracked it open to read as a distraction.

We arrived in good time and I happily disembarked from the aircraft, hopping off of the ramp and landing on two feet soundlessly. We were in a covered area with enough space around us for three jets, two of which were already present before our own arrival. I turned to Natasha with a skeptical look as I observed the heavily armed men checking their gear.

"Are you quite sure we are recruiting someone and not storming a fortress?" I inquired while gesturing around at all of the soldiers around us.

"Hopefully they won't be necessary." Natasha answered as she walked past me in the direction of a barely noticeable path straight ahead of where I stood.

"That is not reassuring." I called after her back but received no response. Sighing in irritation, I walked in the direction she just went and followed her scent easily. Eventually I came to a small shack outside of the city and I leaned up against the side of it, waiting for Natasha to come out. The stars were gleaming in the sky and I picked out the Ursa Major constellation absentmindedly as I gazed up at them.

"Watching the stars?" Natasha questioned as she stepped out of the dilapidated home wearing a dark red tank top with a sarong around her waist and a long scarf around her shoulders.

"Why am I here?" I asked instead of answering the question, pointedly looking at her new attire before making eye contact. "I assume you are attempting to persuade whomever it is we are here to collect and the men who are spreading out around us are here as backup in case something does not go according to plan. So why me?"

"I don't question Fury's reasoning. I assume you're here as back-up." Natasha responded while she observed the area we were in.

"Who exactly are we here for?" I asked

"Dr. Bruce Banner."

One thing about a long life is that it is rare for something to startle or catch me off guard. Finding out we are here in an attempt to persuade someone who transforms into a raging, virtually indestructible, and uncontrollable green… something was enough to surprise me.

"Well at least it is a safe and easy mission." I quipped in a dry tone, the sarcasm not lost on the redheaded spy standing next to me.

"So you've heard of him?"

I snorted, shaking my head incredulously. "Shall we proceed?"

Natasha went off into a market for about an hour after I learned our goal, arriving back and informing me Dr. Banner should be arriving in fifteen minutes. She paid a street rat to request his aid and lure him to the bleak building, effectively getting him away from the more populated part of the city. Natasha gestured for me to come inside and I approached the doorway apprehensively. I do not think it should be a problem, considering the dwelling appeared abandoned, but I was still concerned the barrier would be up to prevent me from crossing the doorway. Attempting to seem nonchalant, I cautiously stepped into the doorway and internally sagged with relief when my foot met with no resistance. No one called this place a home so I was able to gain entrance without an invitation.

I ignored the quizzical and thoughtful expression on Natasha's face as I examined the inside, which had a lot of cloth draped everywhere. I shook my head in amusement when she strapped a gun underneath the table, finding a grim amusement in the action because we both know it would do no damage to the Hulk should he make an appearance. I took note of all the exits and the general layout of the run down home, planning the best escape route should things turn ugly - I grab Romanoff and get the bloody hell out of here, whichever way seemed less likely to result in death or dismemberment.

It was not long before the girl appeared, running through the doorway with a man in a brown suit close behind that sighed in exasperation as the little girl climbed through the window without hesitation. He mumbled something about payment and turned cautiously when Natasha revealed herself.

"You know, for a man who's supposed to be avoiding stress you picked a hell of a place to settle"

"Avoiding stress isn't the secret." Bruce replied warily, eyeing Natasha and I cautiously as he turned to face us.

"Then what is? Yoga?" Natasha quipped, which made me stifle a snort of amusement.

"You brought me to the edge of the city. Smart. I assume the whole place is surrounded." Bruce said as he looked around the shack with a self deprecating smile.

"It's just you, me, and him." Natasha lied, both of us maintaining a straight face under his scrutiny.

"And who are you?" Bruce asked as he glanced between us

"Auggie." I introduced myself, lifting two fingers lazily.

"Natasha Romanoff." Natasha said simply, her eyes never leaving Bruce's.

"Are you here to kill me?" Bruce asked "Because I have to tell you, that won't work out for anyone."

"No, of course not." Natasha told him "I'm here on behalf of SHIELD."

"SHIELD. How did they find me?"

"We never lost you, Doctor. We've kept our distance. Even helped keep some other interested parties off your scent." Natasha informed him

"Why?" Bruce asked warily

"Nick Fury seems to trust you. But now we need you to come in." Natasha replied

"What if I say no?" Bruce questioned

"I'll persuade you." Natasha responded softly and in a confident tone of voice. It made me wonder if she truly felt that confident or was that great of an actress.

"What if the other guy says no?" The silence that followed Bruce's question was enough to hear a pin drop.

"You've been more than a year without an incident. I don't think you want to break that streak." Natasha said lightly, slowly removing a phone from her pocket.

"I don't always get what I want." Bruce told us, removing his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose before once again placing them on his face.

"I do not believe any of us do." I said quietly, ignoring the puzzled look Bruce gave me.

"Doctor, we are facing a potential global catastrophe." Natasha said, scrolling through her phone as she spoke.

Bruce bitterly laughed, a wry smile on his lips. "Well those I actively try to avoid."

"This is the Tesseract." Natasha declared as she put the phone on the table, a picture of a blue cube on the screen. "It has the potential energy to wipe out the planet."

"What does Fury want me to do?" asked Bruce as he picked up the phone, an incredulous look on his face as he examined it. "Swallow it?"

"He wants you to find it. It's been taken. It emits a gamma signature that's too weak for us to trace. There's no one that knows gamma radiation like you do." Natasha explained "If there was, that's where I'd be."

"So, Fury isn't after the monster?" Bruce seemed disbelieving that someone wanted his mind and not the Hulk - something told me his suspicions were legitimate concerns.

"Not that he's told me." Natasha said simply

"Fury tells you everything?"

"Talk to Fury." Natasha said "He needs you on this."

By this point Natasha was sitting down, Bruce across from her, and I was leaning against the wall behind Natasha casually. This was going quite a bit better than I imagined it would. IT was quiet in the room and I realized Bruce was looking at me expectantly.

"I am new - I got brought in just like you except they bribed me." I told him, ignoring the reprimanding look Natasha directed to me. I ignored it because I was not ordered to lie to the guy. Bruce seemed to accept my answer but my loose tongue bit me in the arse again because my next bitter statement was quiet, but loud enough for the other occupants of the small shack to hear clearly. "Besides, I am monster enough on my own."

Bruce gave me a curious look but aimed the next statement at Natasha. "He wants me in a cage."

"No one wants-" Natasha protested gently but was quickly interrupted.

"STOP LYING TO ME!" Bruce shouted

Natasha moved very quickly, even in my book, and had the gun she had strapped to the table aimed at Bruce within a heartbeat. I could practically taste the fear and adrenaline in the air as Natasha aimed the gun with steady hands at Bruce, who for his part was looking a tad bit guilty. I did not move from my position from the wall, although I was tensed in preparation to pull Romanoff out if it became necessary.

"I'm sorry. That was mean. I just wanted to see what you'd do. Why don't we do this the easy way where you don't use that and the other guy doesn't make a mess." Bruce spoke as though he were talking to an injured animal who was backed into a corner, entreating with the red haired woman across from him gently with his hands raised. "Okay? Natasha?"

She eyed him for a long moment but I relaxed my posture because it seemed as though he had control over himself. Finally she lowered the gun and pressed a hand to her ear, confirming that everything was fine and ordering the SHIELD agents outside to stand down.

"Just you two and me." Bruce said wryly, glancing at us both. I shrugged and Natasha just sat in silence as we waited to see what Bruce would do. The man looked back down at the phone and sighed, a weary one as if the whole world rested on his shoulders, before speaking. "Alright. I'll come with you. Only to find the Tesseract."

"Excellent." Natasha said, standing up gracefully and communicating with the other agents that everything was fine. The pilot was ordered to have the jet ready to go in the next five minutes and I smiled at Bruce as he stood.

"Your name is Auggie, you said?" Bruce asked as we stepped out of the shack and watched the agents around us bustling to move equipment. I caught the grimace on his face at the sight of the heavy artillery being taken apart and I felt a flash of sympathy for him.

"Doctor August Harker, actually, but I go by Auggie." I offered, extending my hand for him to shake. "I admire the work you have done on anti electron collisions"

"Thank you." Bruce replied, his eyes lighting up in recognition and seemingly no longer paying attention to the men around us. "I've read about the work you did with Pluripotent Stem Cells as well, of course."

"Ah, yes, well. I have been teaching as of late." I said as I guided him down the path to the clearing where the jets were parked.

"What do they want with a Biochemist, exactly?" Bruce probed

"They did not request me for my mind, I am sure." I told him dryly, walking up the ramp to enter the jet. "I believe I am here in case of a fight."

"Really?" Bruce asked skeptically as he took in my short stature and androgynous features without any judgement on his face. "Are you a soldier?"

"I have been a lot of things, Dr. Banner." I answered without divulging any details.

"Dr. Harker has been around for a long time, Dr. Banner." Natasha informed him as she walked into the jet and the ramp raised up behind her.

"What does that mean?" Bruce asked as he looked between us with confusion written all over his face.

"Thank you, Agent Romanoff." I grumbled before answering the question. "What she means is that my real name is August Thaddeus Murray and I was born on the fourth day of February in 1870."

It was enough to shock them both into silence as they both looked me over once, doubt written all over their faces. It was a bold claim, I knew, because what proof was there that it was true? I honestly did not care if they believed it or not.

"That's impossible." Bruce breathed out finally as the jet took off. "You could barely pass for 30."

I shrugged, not willing to go into the details of how. "And yet, here I stand."

"We have records of him from 1940." Natasha spoke up, confirming that I was most likely telling the truth. "Records that show he looks exactly as he does now, not having aged a day since."

"Amazing." Bruce said, instantly going into doctor mode and leaning forward in his seat. "Do you know why it happened? Have there been any subs-"

"Yes, I know why and no you may not ask." I responded sharply, the anger rising as the possibility of being treated like a lab rat came to the , causing him to lean back once again.

"Oh I- yes, sorry. Forgive me, it's not every day that you meet…" Bruce apologized, trailing off when he had nothing to call me.

"You meant no affront." I sighed, deflating and allowing the anger to recede. I needed to feed, it had been awhile and I was still not satisfied by the stuff from bags since my slip with Austin. After having the fresh stuff, straight from a vein, it was the same as I imagined it would be to go from eating at a five star restaurant to digging through dumpsters for dinner. "You touched upon a nerve and it harrowed up memories best left forgotten. It raised my ideas and I apologize for taking it out on you."

"Well, that was very British." Bruce commented lightly, making me reevaluate what I said and causing me to laugh lightly when I realized that it was the way I would have spoken in the 19th century.

The rest of the ride was spent in relative silence, both Bruce and I now reading about the Tesseract. The destination was unknown, Natasha only saying it was the current base of operations Fury was operating out of and that we would know more when we arrived. Patience is something I have an absurd amount of, so I settled in and became familiar with the files provided by Natasha so I might be as informed as possible upon arrival.

 **A/N: Alright, Chapter Four! First of all, thank you so much BloodyAvenger! Auggie, comes from August, which comes from Augustus in Roman times. JinxRose: Thank you for the lovely review! I will absolutely keep writing :) I hope you continue to enjoy the story and continue to let me know your thoughts on it as well.**

 **Playlist: Song - Artist - Scene**

 **I'm So Sick - Flyleaf (T-Virus Remix feat legion of doom) - getting badges with Peggy in the first flashback.**

 **Darlin - Avril Lavigne - Conversation with Camilla, after getting off phone.**

 **Leap of Faith - Volunteer - Bruce agreeing to come in.**


	5. Chapter 5: Reindeer Games

Chapter Five: Reindeer Games and an Identity Revealed

We disembarked from the jet after landing on a giant ship in the middle of the ocean. It was busy on the deck, with men and women in SHIELD uniforms running around in a coordinated fashion. I absentmindedly followed Natasha, hearing her speaking in her earpiece about some man they needed at the bridge, but I was concentrating on my surroundings.

"Agent Romanoff." A male voice greeted pleasantly "This is Captain Rogers."

"Ma'am." Captain Rogers greeted her with a nod and I subtly took him in. He was a fine specimen of a man, built with wide shoulders and a narrow waist. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a sculpted features that were pleasing to the eyes. My eyes gravitated back up to his own and I was met with a wonderful baby blue, peering at me with curiosity.

"Hi." Natasha greeted before turning to address the man. "They need you on the bridge. They are about to start the face-trace."

Phil nodded and walked off towards the inside of the ship after a quick goodbye. That left Natasha, Captain Rogers, and I standing aimlessly as we took in our surroundings. Captain Rogers appeared to be about to open his mouth but Natasha spoke first.

"It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice. I thought Coulson was gonna swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?" Natasha asked lightly, walking slowly towards the edge of the ship.

"Trading cards?"

"They're vintage." Natasha informed him with a humorous smile. "He's very proud of them."

"Interesting." Captain Rogers said with a bemused expression, his attention returning to me afterwards and extending his hand. "I'm Captain Steve Rogers."

"Yes, I know." I said amusedly, watching as his ears were tinged with pink. I took his hand in mine and shook it firmly, offering a smile. "Dr. August Harker. You may call me Auggie."

"Auggie then. They didn't mention much in your file." Captain Rogers asserted with a questioning tone of voice.

"No, I do not imagine they would." I replied with a hint of a smile.

"Dr. Harker is even older than you, Captain Rogers." Natasha told him, ignoring the glower aimed at her. This makes for the second time she has informed someone of something she had no right to divulge.

Captain Rogers eyes widened, eyes instantly going back to my face and shaking his head a little. "Were you in ice too?"

I snorted in amusement, thinking of the irony. "No, Captain, the only thing that I am frozen within is time."

"You're immortal?" Captain Rogers asked with wide eyes.

"Allegedly." I shrugged, not sure how old I could grow to be. It was not something I was keen to discover.

"That sounds very lonely." He said softly, making my eyes snap up to meet his. This was the first time someone said something like that instead of how amazing it was to live forever or stay young. I nodded slowly, cautiously, in response to his statement without breaking eye contact. He was the first to look away, something over my shoulder drawing his attention. "Dr. Banner."

"Oh, yeah. Hi!" Bruce said, reaching out to shake his hand. "They told me you'd be coming."

"Word is, you can find the cube." Captain Rogers stated matter of factly

"Is that the only word on me?" Bruce probed

"The only one I care about." Captain Rogers said firmly

"It must be strange for you, all of this." Bruce said empathetically, gesturing to our surroundings.

"This is actually familiar." Captain Rogers responded

"Gentlemen, you might want to step inside in a minute. It's going to get a little hard to breathe." Natasha told us all, making my eyebrows raise. So it was not only a ship.

"Is this a submarine?" Captain Rogers asked

"Really? They want me in a submerged, pressurised, metal container?" Bruce asked incredulously, falling silent for a moment as we watched the propellers rise from the water and begin to lift the giant structure from the water. "No, no, this is much worse."

"A helicarrier." I said out loud, shaking my head in wonder at the advances humans have made in the last one hundred years. Incredible.

We all filed into the helicarrier as it rose higher and higher above the water. We walked into a large, open metal hallway with SHIELD agents bustling through the corridors purposefully. Natasha guided us to the bridge confidently and we arrived just to hear Fury give the order to 'make us vanish'. That was when the ship became invisible and Captain Rogers handed Fury what looked like a ten dollar bill from his billfold.

"Gentlemen…" Fury said, nodding at Steve and myself before facing Bruce. "Doctor, thank you for coming."

"Thanks for asking nicely." Bruce said sardonically "So, how long am I staying?"

"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the wind." Fury told him promptly

"Where are you with that?" I interjected, looking to Coulson as he answered.

"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cell phones, laptops... If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."

"That's still not going to find them in time." Natasha commented

"You have to narrow your field. How many spectrometers do you have access to?" Bruce asked

"How many are there?" Fury fired back with a small smirk on his lips

"Call every lab you know." Bruce ordered, the once shy man becoming confident while in his element. "Tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm, basic cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work?"

"Agent Romanoff, would you show Dr. Banner his laboratory?" Fury directed her

"You're going to love it, Doc." Natasha assured him as she lead him away from the bridge. "We've got all the toys."

"Dr. Harker. It's a pleasure to meet you, sorry we didn't get to introduce ourselves. I'm Phil Coulson." Phil introduced himself, extending his hand.

"Call me Auggie." I replied easily, shaking his hand.

"Dr. Harker, is it safe to assume you brought your own food?" Fury asked suddenly, getting my attention with the way he stressed food. I eyed him warily, it seems fairly obvious he knows what I am, but why didn't he put it in the file?

"I thought SHIELD would provide dinner." I said innocently, a wicked smirk crossing my lips. Fury stared at me with his one good eye, no humour at all, and so I sighed wearily before answering. "Yes, yes. I brought food."

"Were we supposed to bring our own food?" Captain Rogers asked, looking between Fury and I in confusion.

"Oh no." I told him, ignoring how little it made me feel to have to look slightly up to his eyes as I smirked at him and continued in a playful way. "I am on a special diet, can be quite costly to acquire… some might even say it could cost a life."

"Is that so.." Captain Rogers trailed off, hesitantly laughing.

The conversation pretty much ended there and since there was nothing left to discuss for the time being, I excused myself to find my quarters with the help of a random SHIELD agent. Thanking the man who brought me to my room, which consisted of a bunk bed, side table, and a porthole window, I grabbed a blood bag eagerly from the duffel bag I still carried and poured it into my thermos. I made sure it was sealed up tight and headed to find a microwave to warm the blood up. My throat was burning with hunger because of all of the blood filled bodies around and I had not fed since before picking Bruce up.

I hummed to myself as the microwave I found, luckily only one deck above me, heated the blood in the thermos. I smacked my lips happily as the sweet liquid trickled down my throat once it was done and took another few drinks as I walked away from the kitchenette. That was when my name was announced to call the bridge. Every corridor had a phone, so I picked one up after reviewing the sheet with the extensions next to it and dialed the connection to reach the bridge.

"Harker, meet Captain Rogers in the hangar. We found Loki and you are to bring him in." Fury ordered

"Yes sir." I said sarcastically, internally laughing at the annoyed noise it produced from Fury, before hanging up the phone and speeding to meet the Captain. I had my daggers already on my person, so I grabbed a smaller bag I kept in the duffel bag I carried with me, filled it with two blood bags just in case, and booked it to the hangar room.

"Nice outfit." I teased when I saw Captain Rogers in the red, white, and blue Captain America suit.

"You're coming with us?" Captain Rogers asked, ignoring my jibe.

"Apparently." I retorted, walking up the ramp to the jet and taking another drink from my thermos.

"I would have thought you would be in the lab with Dr. Banner. You fight?" Captain Rogers asked conversationally, his face nonchalant before grimacing and I watched in veiled amusement as his ears turned slightly pink from embarrassment from ranting. "I-I mean, not that you CAN'T fight, I'm sure you are a swell fighter, I jus- you know because smart people do the important stuff… Not that it's not important what we're doing or I think you aren't smart enough to be in the lab. It's-"

"Captain, I understand." I said, allowing the blank mask I had kept up during his ramble to lift in order to reflect my amusement. "Yes, I have a doctorate in Biochemistry but that field would not be of much use to locate the cube. I am a fighter and I have served in a few wars over the years."

"Really? Which ones?" Captain Rogers leaned forward to hear better over the loud jet as we took off, his uniform tightening across his well formed pectoral muscles in a aesthetically pleasing way.

"The Boxer Rebellion - the only time I was against the British by the way, both World Wars, and the Vietnam War." I confessed, stomping the memories down before they had the opportunity to come forward. I was in mission mode, gearing up for a fight, and I must have complete control over myself.

"You were in World War II?" Captain Rogers blurted in shock

"Yes, though not until a couple of years after it began. I was coerced into joining by a woman whom I met in an alley while visiting London." I recalled with a hint of a smile at the thought of Peggy Carter.

"How old are you?" He asked me not unkindly

I stayed quiet for a moment, adjusting my scarf to ensure my neck was not showing while also indulging in the nervous habit, pondering on whether or not to tell the truth. I did not see any harm in it considering Natasha has already informed him of my long life but I did so loathe to let any hint of what I was out. Especially with the Black Widow up front listening.. "I am one hundred and forty two years old as of this year."

"Wow." Captain Rogers breathed, shaking his head in silent amazement. "How did it happen? Was it the-"

"Fountain of Youth?" I interjected with a snort, used to people jumping to that conclusion by now. "No, to my knowledge there is no such thing."

"Then how?" Captain Rogers asked curiously

I gazed out the window as I thought about how to best phrase it, watching the clouds as we sped by or through him. "It was not something I sought out. It is a curse, one I hope to break one day."

"That's... awful." Captain Rogers said sympathetically, shaking his head. "I hope you find what you are looking for."

"As do I, Captain Rogers. As do I." I replied softly and relaxed a little as a short silence filled the cargo hold, only broken by the noise of the engines and turbulence from our flight.

"Steve." Captain Rogers said suddenly, looking back at me instead of at his boots and shield.

"Come again?"

"You can call me Steve." He said, a small smile growing on his face as I nodded my agreement.

"Steve." I repeated, looking back out the window and adjusting the crimson scarf around my neck.

"Look sharp boys, ETA is four minutes." Natasha's voice rang out in the cargo hold, bringing our conversation to an abrupt end. Capta- Steve threw his shield on his back and rolled his shoulders to relieve any tension. I checked that my hair was pulled back into a ponytail tight enough to not get in the way during a fight, then I tucked my scarf into my shirt so the enemy would not be able to grab onto it easily. We both waited and I absentmindedly began fingering my daggers in anticipation. Before long we came up to a crowd of people with a man holding a staff, wearing a horned helmet, and way too much gold.

There were illusions of the man, flickering in and out of existence, surrounding the crowd of people in order to round them up. As we drew closer in stealth mode, no one noticing our approach, an elderly man stands up from the kneeled position they are all in and says words I cannot make out. Before I could react, Steve jumped from the jet and blocked a shot of blue light that came from Loki's staff, saving the elderly german man's life.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany, and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing." Steve quipped in a loud and demanding voice. I jumped from the jet as well, landing quietly so that the three of us are in a triangular formation.

"The soldier. The man out of time." Loki sneered

"I'm not the one out of time." Steve announced confidently

"Oh, and a vampire. How terrifying." Loki mocked, glancing at me dismissively. I refused to let myself show any reaction to his words, although I did see Steve's head snap towards me out of the corner of my eye. Thankfully, Natasha came in with a distraction in the form of the jet.

"Loki, drop the weapon and stand down." Natasha called out over the loudspeaker as a machine gun lowered from the bottom of the jet.

Loki fired another bolt of blue light, this time towards me, and I threw myself to the right in order to avoid the magic I could feel crackling in the air. It smelled like lightning, ozone, and caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. I was not sure if getting hit by that would kill me or not, truthfully, but I was not eager to find out.

Steve engaged Loki, throwing his shield and getting right beside Loki in order to fight at close quarters. He was most likely attempting to eliminate the projectile by keeping Loki to busy to fire another one off. I studied Steve, his jab which he followed up with a cross, then a sidekick. Pulling out my daggers and spinning them in my hands, I waited for Loki's back to be turned to join the fight. He knocked Steve back, quickly firing another bolt at him which was caught by the shield and the vibranium metal sucessfully repelled it.

In the time it would take a human to blink I was beside Loki, dagger aimed for his back, but changing direction in mid air when he turned to bludgeon me with his staff. I twisted my body underneath it, feeling it barely an inch from my nose as it went over me, I landed on my feet and caught the other end with a dagger. I kicked out with my right foot, which he blocked, and then I did a spinning side kick that made him stumble. Steve came in from his side, using his shield as a blunt weapon, and I ran at Loki, sliding with my legs out to knock his own legs from underneath him. He saw me coming and turned, catching me in the jaw with his staff and sending me flying into the stone wall of a nearby fountain. My head hit with a painful crack, throbbing at this point, but I ignored it as Loki pointed his staff at Steve's head - point blank range.

"Kneel." Loki ordered through gritted teeth

"Not today." Steve grunted as he weaved underneath the staff, performing a spin kick to Loki's jaw as he rose to his feet.

They exchanged blows and I charged in when I saw Steve get knocked back, throwing a dagger straight at Loki's back. As I closed in, his staff glowed blue just as it had when he fired the last bolt, so I jumped to avoid it without thinking. This time, he was able to delay the bolt for a moment, waiting until I was in the air to shoot it at me.

It felt worse than an electric chair, which I have experienced, and I could smell burnt flesh as it tore through my abdomen. Distantly I heard Steve yell something out but I was struggling to keep my eyes open, my head pounding and drowning out any other noises. Silencing any noise until I heard a rock song, that is, and the arrival of Iron Man. It sounded like they were far away but I heard them take Loki into custody, and then I was being picked up by someone, gently, bridal style.

"...No way he survived…" I heard a fuzzy voice

"...family?" another one

Hearing the word family made me think of the promise I made to Camilla to come back and I fought against the grogginess as my body slowly began to heal itself from the magical attack. My eyes opened, glowing gold but dark with hunger. I sat up and reached instinctively into my bag, which was placed within a foot of me, to grab my thermos. Unscrewing the cap, I guzzled the blood, letting out a low groan as it barely satiated the strong urge to feed from a live body and regain my strength.

"What in the.." I heard Steve say nearby, turning to face him only to see him staring at me with wide eyes, only looking more shocked as he noticed the colour of my eyes. I messily drained the rest of the thermos filled with blood, wiping the corner of my mouth to catch a stray bit that had escaped in my desperation. I subconsciously glanced back at Steve and watched him as he looked at my body healing itself - the hole closing, faster and faster, leaving smooth and unblemished skin and abs where a hole had previously been.

"Pity." Loki sneered, breaking the silence in the cargo hold of the jet.

"Sorry to disappoint." I snarked back, falling heavily into a seat. I could feel Steve and Ironman watching me but I ignored it as I readjusted my scarf.

Tony whistled lowly, making me glance up at both Steve and him questioningly. Tony tapped his chest as he spoke "I wish I would have had that two years ago."

"No you do not." I replied quietly

"I guess the blood thing is kind of a pain." Tony said idly

I bristled with annoyance at his flippantly callous remark, opening my mouth to tear into him, figuratively, but was interrupted before the words passed my lips.

"Is he saying anything?" Fury's voice broke through on the radio

"Not a word." Natasha replied

"Just get him here. We're low on time." Fury ordered before ending the transmission.

"I don't like it." Steve said abruptly as he eyed Loki warily.

"What, Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" Tony quipped

"I don't remember it being that easy. This guy packs a wallop." Steve commented, still eyeing the Asgardian.

"It does seem out of character.." I agreed

"Still, you both are pretty spry for an older fellow. What's your thing, Pilates?" Tony asked with a straight face, making me snort. This guy was ridiculous.

"What?" Steve asked, looking between the two of us in confusion.

"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple of things doing time as a Capsicle." Tony told him sarcastically and I watched as Steve's confusion melted into annoyance, his posture reflecting his mood and tightening up.

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in." Steve said coldly

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you." Tony replied without missing a beat.

"Where's this coming from?" Natasha asked as lightning filled the sky and thunder boomed out across the sky, making Loki look around warily which in turn garnered our attention.

"What's the matter? Are you scared of a little lightning?" Steve asked the God of Mischief snidely.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." Loki responded dryly

I stood up, my hand instinctively reaching back to grab my dagger when we heard a loud thud on the ceiling of the jet, as though someone landed on it mid-flight. I unsheathed my dagger, spinning it in my hand twice before gripping it firmly, watching as Tony put his mask on and strode to the door. Steve placed his headgear on the same time Tony opened the cargo door, the wind howling throughout the hold as the door lowered to reveal a stormy sky.

"What are you doing?" Steve called out to Tony as the door lowered. A blonde man, wearing a chest plate and a red cape, landed easily on the lowered ramp and threw the hammer he was carrying into Tony's chest, knocking down and back a few feet.

The blonde man, who I speculated was Thor, strode up to Loki and ripped him from the bench, gripping his throat in an ironclad grip. Summoning his hammer back to him, the man flew out of the jet without a word or a glance back at any of us.

Tony groaned as he got to his feet, muttering lowly as he did. "Now there's that guy."

"Another Asgardian?" Natasha called back from the pilot's seat

"That guy is a friendly?" Captain America asked incredulously

"Doesn't matter. If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost." Tony said, stalking forward towards the ramp.

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve insisted

"I have a plan." Tony glowered, stopping for a second to look back. "Attack."

Tony took off, activating his thrusters and shooting out of the jet after the two Asgardians. Steve looked at me before turning around and snagging a parachute for himself, throwing one to me. He began strapping himself in and I caught mine with my right hand easily.

"I'd sit this one out, Cap." Natasha advised, glancing back at us.

"I don't see how I can." Steve said

"These guys come from legend!" Natasha shouted over the wind "They're basically gods."

"There's only one God, ma'am, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." Steve declared, looking at me and the parachute I was still holding impatiently. "You need help putting that on or you need me to strap you in?"

"I only let men tie me up if they buy me dinner first." I replied amusedly, pausing before amending my comment. "Well, they are usually the source of dinner but you know what I mean."

"Are you coming or not?" Steve questioned

"Oh I would not miss this for the world. I was waiting for you." I responded, smirking a little and walking up to the ramp, setting the parachute to the side. "Shall we race? Loser buys a round for the first one down."

Steve's forehead creased in confusion as he heard my challenge, eyes widening to form a deliciously shocked expression as I jumped backwards out of the jet without the parachute. I laughed ecstatically as I fell, the wind billowing through my clothes and giving an addictive feeling of weightlessness. I fell with my back to the ground, watching as Steve followed a second later, body compact and cutting through the wind like a knife as he plummeted towards the ground. It did not take very long for him to fly past me and I turned over onto my stomach to watch as he went down towards the massive expanse of forest below.

When he was about sixteen hundred feet from the tree line, he deployed the parachute on his back. With him slowing down I caught up quickly enough, though I angled myself a good distance from him. He was manoeuvring towards where we could see lightning flashing onto the ground, most likely from the second Asgardian, so I was angling away from the fight but towards where I could see Loki standing on a cliff. Concentrating, I transformed into my other form as I drew nearer to the ground. As soon as I hit the tree line, bats swarmed from perches to cushion the fall slightly and I landed with a quiet thump. I waved my hand to release the bats from my thrall and began walking towards the God of Mischief, who was watching the fight between Tony and the blonde man curiously.

"A vampire bodyguard?" Loki called out as I approached, not bothering to mask my presence from the other man. "How quaint."

"Who's your friend?" I asked, ignoring the jab.

"Thor." Loki sneered

"Not a fan?" I asked with faux surprise "I like him already."

Loki did not say anything to that and I rested casually against the rock face, stoically observing the fight going on below as Steve joined in the, for lack of a better term, brawl. I kept Loki within eyesight, ensuring he did not attempt to escape, but the man did not move an inch. The fight did not last long after Steve caught Thor's hammer, knocking both Tony and Thor off of their feet with the resulting shockwave that reverberated ominously through the woods.

"Looks like it is time to get moving." I told Loki cheerfully, walking forward and taking his arm in a tight grip before stepping off the edge of the cliff. Aside from tensing his muscles, Loki showed no discomfort or surprise at dropping a hundred feet to the forest floor below, which disappointed me slightly. I landed with knees bent slightly, straightening up and walking towards the three men staring at us.

"Are we ready to leave, then?" I asked, looking between the three of them. They nod and we began to make our way to a clearing that Natasha could land in to pick us up. Thor grabbed Loki from me distrustfully, pulling him up to the front of our small group, with Tony in the middle followed by Steve and then with myself bringing up the rear. After deliberating a moment, I tapped Steve on the shoulder in order to get his attention.

"Something is bothering me."

"What is it?" Steve asked with a frown, falling back to walk beside me.

"You know how they used to put mice in a maze, with cheese at the exit, in order to study how fast they could get through the maze?" I asked, pausing until Steve nodded to indicate he knew what I was talking about. "I feel as though we are the mice, the tesseract is the cheese, and Loki is watching us to figure something out."

"Why?" Steve asked, his frown deepening as he considered the idea.

"Loki did not try to escape. It is like what you said earlier, it was too easy to capture him. When Tony and Thor were fighting, if it were me, I would have chosen that moment to attempt to escape." I explained in a low tone "Why did he not attempt at all? He was watching when I walked up."

"That is strange." Steve agreed slowly, thinking it over. "What do you think that means?"

"I think that Loki has no intention of giving us cheese at the end of the maze." I replied quietly, my eyes shifting to the green clothed man, who seemed far too comfortable with his current situation, as I spoke. "I do not like it. I cannot shake the feeling that we are doing exactly what he wants us to."

"So what should we do?" Steve asked musingly, his eyes focused on the topic of our conversation as well.

"Unfortunately, it seems we must navigate the maze for now." I shook my head, mind racing to figure out what angle Loki was playing. "We should just be prepared to make our own exit if need be."

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 **A/N: Yay! Chapter Five! Sorry it took so long, you guys, it has been CRAZY. I have ADD, really bad, and my medicine got stolen (I hate assholes.) so I have been all over the place this last week. I am now back! Hopefully going to get some serious writing done this weekend!**

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 **Chapter 5 Playlist: Song - Artist - Scene**

 **Freedom - Tegan and Sara - Meeting Steve (Captain America)**

 **Dechorro - Deorro - Jumping out of the jet**

 **Premonitions - Vaults - Dropping from the ledge after Tony, Steve, and Thor fight.**

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 **Rache Responds to Reviews:**

 **BloodyAvenger: I'm sorry the flashbacks were confusing! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to message me or ask in a review, I will be more than happy to answer them. Honestly, Auggie's had a looong life and I have so much stuff written on just him - I'm trying to control how much I use and write in the real story because I don't want to overload everyone with information. He is very real to me, however, and I know more about him than I do any other character I've written before.**

 **Ougley: I will take that suggestion under advisement and get back to you in a week. I'm not the biggest fan of the setup on AO3, despite liking their guidelines a lot better, but it's easier to post/organize things on fanfiction in my humble opinion. I'll check it out soon and see how I feel about it now, I attempted a year or two ago and was much busier then so I may have an attitude change now that I am capable of spending more time and patience on learning a new system.**

 **RHatch89: Thank you! I am pleased you enjoyed it :) keep reviewing and reading!**

 **Matt.H: Thank you! I light up when I see those kind of reviews so thank you for your encouragement and I hope this chapter will tide you over until the next! I try to update as quickly as possible, it's just that life does not seem to want to follow my plan always? (shocker, right?)**

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 **Okay, so I'm pretty sure this is going to be a series… the way I have it planned, this should cover the Avengers Movie, then the next installment will have filler and be more focused on what's happening with Auggie and his 'mission', then the last will be Winter Soldier/Civil War. (Fuck. Ultron. It NEVER happened.) (Possibly Infinity if it is released before I'm done, which is likely.)**

 **Thank you everyone! Much love!**

 **~Rache**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"What about coffins?" Tony asked

"Not since the seventeenth century, to my knowledge." I replied, darting to the my left in order to avoid a SHIELD agent carry two cups of scalding, judging by the steam, coffee.

"Garlic?" Tony asked seriously

"Myth." I rolled my eyes, never having understood where the hell that on came from. "It will be more likely to scare away your date than an immortal creature lusting after your blood."

Steve and Tony stopped in the hallway, though it took me a moment to notice, and when I realized they were no longer on either side of me, I slowly turned around to face them quizzically. They were both staring at me, bemused expressions on their faces, and I was just about to open my mouth to ask if what I said was too crass or insensitive when Tony beat me to the punch.

"Sunlight?"

"Tony, you've literally seen pictures of me in the sunlight. They are in the file." I told him instead of answering the question directly.

"Stake to the heart?" Steve asked curiously, joining in on the riveting game of quiz the vampire.

"Should I be worried you two want to know how to kill vampires so badly?" I asked with a straight face, not even letting it slip when Steve let out this startled choking sound.

"God, no! Sorry, I didn't mean- Tony was just asking and I remember this movie.." Steve would have kept rambling, I am quite sure, which would have been cute but honestly I could smell the blood as it rushed to fill his cheeks; I was hungry and the amusement was not worth the trouble of not breathing or easing the burn in my throat.

"Steve." I interjected with a raised hand, smiling at him and patting him on the shoulder. "I am fucking with you."

"Oh." Steve said, blinking at me owlishly.

"Stakes will actually make it appear as though I am dead. When the stake is removed, then…" I explained, inflecting my voice with a raspy, over dramatic Transylvanian accent for the last two words. "I'm back!"

"That is awesome. Seriously." Tony jabbered, turning right to head in the direction of the Bridge. "What's the weirdest place you've woken up, if any, after being staked?"

"Tony!" Steve hissed uncomfortably, glancing at me. "That's insensitive and per-"

"No, it is fine." I reassured Steve, waving a hand dismissively. "Okay, so it was at the turn of the Twentieth Century. Have you both heard of Jack the Ripper?"

"The famous serial killer?" Tony asked before he got an excited look on his face that was totally inappropriate but endearing nonetheless. "Please tell me you are, were?, Jack the Ripper. Don't disappoint me, Auggie. Come on. Be the Ripper."

"No, I am not nor have I ever been Jack the Ripper." I told him apologetically, stopping for a moment to realize how twisted it was that I was sorry I was not the one who became one of the most feared serial killers in history. Tony's face fell and I looked back at Steve to find him watching me as well - his face was curiously blank, actually, which was intriguing because my experience so far depicted Steve as a very expressive person. I filed it away to be revisited at another time, turning my attention back to Tony.

"I did know Jack the Ripper though." I said slyly, lips twitching when I saw excitement fill his face once again.

"You have to tell me who it is!:" Tony exclaimed

"He was a vampire, a mentally disturbed vampire - something that is not as uncommon as you would think." I said as we walked down the hall, Tony hanging on every word eagerly awaiting for me to reveal who the serial killer was while Steve had now reverted back to looking as though he were one of the people staring at an awful car accident but they could not look away. I shook Steve from my thoughts as I focused on the story again. "His name was James Maybrook and at the time he was posing as a cotton merchant in Liverpool. Well at this point in my life I was… a lot different from who I am today, obviously, as a hundred years will change a lot."

:"I read about Jack the Ripper in passing while I was trying to find my sister, Mina. When I heard about Jack the Ripper I found myself changing my course to London instead. It seemed like the work of an amateur vampire, granted I was still quite young as well back then - maybe six years old at this point?" I mused, thinking on the old days always left a melancholy feeling deep in my stomach as well as a heavy feeling where my unbeating heart sat inside my chest. "Anyway, to make a long story short, I tracked the Ripper down and the bastard got the jump on me. The 'only a stake to their unbeating heart will kill a vampire' thing was quite prominent back in those days and, the sorry excuse for a vampire that he was, he tried to kill me like a mortal."

"What do you mean like a mortal?" Steve interrupted curiously

"Well, vampires are kind of strange in the fact that they remain parts of their humanity but we have instincts. Urges, almost, to challenge one another." I explained slowly, thinking of the least awful way to explain vampire Hierarchy to Steve Rogers, Captain America - I shook my head to get focused, finishing up the answer to Steve's question and then what really happened. "Anyway, we know how to kill one another. It was strange that he used a stake in the heart because it went against his very urges but, as I mentioned earlier, he was very mentally disturbed."

"That's common amongst vampires?" Tony questioned before I could continue. At my reprimanding glower he apologized even though he did not look 'sorry' at all.

"Yes, it is quite common. It happens when they cannot come to terms with who they have become - they cannot accept the fact that they are cursed." I explained softly, remembering some of the kind people who I had killed because they asked to do so in order to avoid the curse. "Oftentimes they will starve themselves, refusing to give in to the urge to feed, which will make them sick - then the hallucinations begin, quickly followed by a haze of anger, resentment, and bloodlust that they never remember… if they survive the rampage."

"Going back to the original question." I carried on quickly, unwilling to get sidetracked again by anyone at the table. "So, Mr. Maybrook staked me and I was out for what I learned eventually was three days. It was a medical examiner who had yanked the steak out of my heart, bringing me back to consciousness."

"I was very naked and very angry, so I stormed off with minimal snarling and headed straight for the door. I must have used more strength than necessary, I was still somewhat young and it is hard to figure out the scale for things."

At that point in the conversation Steve was nodding emphatically. It took me a moment to connect the dots but then I remembered he had quite the increase in abilities much in the same way a vampire would. Tony was looking between the mutual mixed feeling of amusement, embarrassment, and exasperation dealing with super strength is when you first receive it.

"You know how when you crack an egg you just hit it against the side of a bowl?" I asked Tony, waiting for him to nod and smirking as Steve's blue eyes connected with mine - I had caught the wince he made when I said the word egg. He totally did this as well when he got his strength. "Well, let's just say I was just flicking my fingernails against it and it still just kept shattering. It's very frustrating."

"So, I am naked, pissed off, and still healing from the autopsy that the medical examiner had already begun performing. On the other side of the door was this forty year old italian woman who shrieked when she saw me, flinging herself down on the ground and babbling in italian, which I didn't speak fluently but I knew a word or two. She kept saying god a lot and then called me an angel, or maybe lucifer?"

"Well, she would not stop staring at my…" I trailed off, thinking off the most appropriate word to use but giving up after a second because it was just Steve and Tony. "At my little Auggie and the family jewels, if you know what I mean, so I asked her to stop praying to god and if she knew where I could find a towel. All this in broken italian."

"Imagine my surprise when the woman, who moments ago was on the floor babbling about in an odd mix of fear and captivation, slapped the holy hell right out of me." I deadpanned, lips twitching at the sound of Steve's full out belly laugh and the chuckles from Tony. "What I found out later was I butchered my Italian to inappropriate levels and that apparently trumped beautiful, naked, and cut up immortal creature."

"What did you say?" Tony asked genuinely curious.

"I, unknowingly, asked if she would get off the floor and come here, pray to god and clean me off. She thought I meant stop praying, come and suck my dick, and then you can get back on the floor. A lot of it was the time period we were in." I commented

"You have lived such a crazy life." Steve said from beside me, both of us leaning against a grey wall casually.

"Some points, yes, but I had boring years as well." I said, smiling a little as memories from the peaceful years flashed in my mind. "I actually spent half a decade raising cattle."

"What happened, did you get thirsty and lose the herd?" Tony joked

"No." I replied dryly, keeping a straight face and my tone light. "Well, no to the insinuation that I drank the blood of all the cows. I actually got overzealous while fucking the man who ran the slaughterhouse that BROUGHT the cows - he ended up drained and I went out of business."

Steve and Tony both blanched at my casual remark about murder, using the same conversational tone of voice one might use while referencing the weather. I was truly jesting, I have not lost control over myself to murder unintentionally for over a hundred years. The joke did not go over well at all, something I should have expected considering who my audience was. Steve stopped and I observed his posture, tense with almost every muscle clenched, with regret.

"Let me go ahead and make something abundantly clear to you, Dr. Harker." Steve ground out through clenched teeth and a look of pure, unadulterated loathing on his face. "While you may have a disgustingly casual disregard for human life, you will not do so while you work with me."

"I apologize, Steve, it was a distasteful attempt at humour." I said remorsefully

"Mr. Rogers or Captain will be fine, Dr. Harker." Steve informed me stiffly.

"As you wish, Captain Rogers." I acknowledged, lowering my eyes from his own vivid blue.

"If I ever hear you speaking like that again, I will do my best to ensure you are booted off not only this mission but every single one afterwards as well." Steve continued, back straight and his voice as cold as winters in Siberia. "I may not have the authority but it will be the only option they have that has me remaining. I will not work with a monster, that is the kind of thing we were assembled to stop."

"Understood, Captain." I agreed, my body stiff and voice level as I spoke. "If you have nothing else you wish to say, I will retire to my quarters presently. Please request my presence if there is a need or if there are any developments I should be aware of. Good evening, Gentleman."

I nodded jerkily to them both before turning on my heel and striding back down the hall we had just come from. Though this was supposed to be the first time all of us involved in the Avenger's Initiative were present in the same room, I needed time to gather myself after that conversation. Truly, it was the memories that came unbidden from Steve's insinuation that were attempting to come to the surface. One of the biggest problems I have with being a vampire is the memory. Unlike most humans, Vampires have amazing memories - they are required to because it is necessary in order to retain and organize the knowledge and experience that comes with so many years of 'life'. Without the ability to compartmentalize, organize, and recall our memories we would be incapable of functioning.

The way I imagine it would be if our minds were as normal as they were in our mortal lives reminds me of Alzheimer's disease. Constantly forgetting things, time seeming like something constantly speeding up or slowing down, inability to recall something quickly - it would be like trying to find a rock in quicksand while you slowly sink. It would be enough to drive anyone crazy.

I made my way to the room assigned by SHIELD, opening the door and reflexively checking that nothing had been moved since I left. My entire body was still and I did not even draw breath as I took in every detail of the room. It was scary how quickly I fell into old habits; checking for any sign of intruders was the first step, then anything around the room disturbed or misplaced, checking for traps in various places capable of hiding a bomb or a gas. It was only when I was satisfied that not even a hair was out of place that I relaxed slightly.

I went straight for my duffle bag, unzipping it hurriedly, and pulled out a blood bag, tearing a hole in the plastic bag with my sharp fangs. I let the familiar taste soothe my nerves slightly, easing the burning in the back of my throat. The blood was not half as pleasant cold but I did not desire to be out of my room with my emotions attempting to sort themselves out.

Shoving the emotions down only prolonged the time one had before being required to deal with them or face having to deal with an emotional breakdown, endangering the lives of anyone with blood flowing in their veins nearby. Not for the first time I wished I could call Camilla; I found myself missing her warm, non-judgemental voice that came along with good humor and motherly tendencies. I know she and Piper are fine, living safe back home, but I wanted to speak to her so I could reassure myself anyway.

I lashed out, my leg a blur as it smashed into the metal bunk bed and I grimaced slightly when the leg dented. I growled lowly, hating the stupid rule about not contacting my little adopted family while working with them unless for an emergency. I paced back and forth in the small room, feeling much like how I imagine a lion would in a cage, and controlled my breathing. I counted down from five hundred three times before I felt calm enough to lay down. Making up my mind, I kicked off my boots and got underneath the covers, choosing to remain in my clothes just in case. Sleep would aid me in sorting myself out and I would feel much better when I awoke - the reason I hesitated was because I was afraid of the memories I would have to experience before I woke up.

* * *

 _I reached up pale, smooth fingers to the red scarf wrapped firmly around my throat. My throat was itching though there was nothing new about that because it has been yet another constant reminder of the 'adventure' shared between the two people closest to me in this world. Unconsciously, my hand lifted the scarf slightly so that I could feel the rough scar tissue being hidden underneath it while I remembered black eyes that matched the color of its soul, what was once human but is no longer - if it even has a soul. If I even have a soul._

" _Augustus." Jonathan's sharp and reprimanding tone cut through my absent minded actions and startled me back to reality, the memories still haunting the back of my mind as they always were._

 _:"Sorry." I murmured, looking around the tiny pub. We were in a booth in the back of the room, most likely so hidden by the shadows and thick smoke lingering in the room no one would be able to pierce the haze to see my actions if they even desired to do so. Still, Jonathan did hate it when I did anything someone could label 'strange' - even more so when it was in a public place, such as this establishment._

" _Do not apologize." Jonathan snapped, his voice brittle and reprimanding. "Must I always remind you? We are in public."_

" _I know, Jonathan." I replied with a gloomy sigh under my breath._

" _I do not like it anymore than you do, Gus." Jonathan smiled sadly, reaching out towards me. I felt a bloom of hope in my chest, one that was instantly replaced with the same emptiness that has been in place for two months now. I thought Jonathan was reaching to grab my hand under the table but he merely patted my shoulder before raising the collar of my jacket. Raising the jacket was the real intention all along, I knew, because he feared what anyone would do should they find out about my condition._

 _ ***... Or maybe he is just ashamed of you.* a soft female voice whispered acidically in mind.**_

 _*Shut up.* I hissed internally, closing my eyes and willing the voice to go away. *Jonathan would never be ashamed of me. He's protecting me.*_

 _ ***Maybe you are right and he isn't ashamed.* She reasoned, making my eyes snap open suspiciously. I noticed Jonathan was gone again but I was too focused right now to care why. She never agreed, not on things like that. *Maybe he is so disgusted by the new you and those horrendous scars.***_

 _*Please, Wilhelmina.* I whimpered, not caring how pathetic my begging sounded - anything to get her to stop saying out loud the fears that haunt me. The fears that I dare not say she would shout from rooftops and wave them in the air for me to see. *Mina, if there was ever a day that you felt love for me, please stop this.*_

 _ ***Tsk,tsk. Come now, Augustus. Giving up so easily? That is not like you.* Mina all but purred inside my mind, making me cringe and shiver in equal parts with both delight and disgust as I felt a flash of pleasure and amusement come from her end of the connection between our minds. *You know how it feels to feed, do you not? You can feel the pleasure I do as he fucks me and the absolute euphoria I experience when his precious, sweet blood pools in my mouth?***_

 _*Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.* I prayed, trying to push Mina's voice away as I focused on the words._

 _ ***How long has it been since he has touched you, I wonder? Properly, I mean, not as an excuse to make sure you are covered up.* Mina wonders cruelly, her words razor sharp with the intention to torture me despite the mockingly sympathetic tone. She laughed, the sound echoing in my head. *When was the last time he said that he loved you? It has been, what, the night he found out you were still… not dead?***_

 _*Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive our trespasses.* I thought louder, clinging onto each word in the same manner a starving man would breadcrumbs - knowing it is not enough to make the pangs of hunger go away but in your head it may ease your suffering to know you had them. *As we forgive those who have trespassed against us.*_

 _ ***How long has it been since he has fucked you?* Mina bluntly asked caustically, her voice going from soft and musical to cold and flat - it no longer caught me off guard because whether it was with her honey sweet voice or the one made from iron, all the words hurt equally. My fingers trembled as I put them together in the normal position one does when praying - this made Mina cackle in delight. *I wonder who he HAS been fucking? Did Johnny not go after cunt before he met you? I bet he would go back, what about you?***_

 _*And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.* I whispered into my mind, feeling the ache in my throat worsen even as I could feel Mina being sated in every way one could be._

 _ ***You know, I bet it does not really matter to him at all.* Mina stated lazily, as though the idea just stumbled into her head. *Cunt or an arse, I mean. Anything as long as it is not the infected, disgusting, and used creature you turned into, right? You know, I bet he is not even really checking on a 'lead' right now.***_

 _*For thine is the kingdom.* I prayed desperately, forcing the tears gathering in my eyes to not fall. Reminding myself that I trust Jonathan, I always have and this changes nothing._

 _ ***Poor, delusional Augustus.* Mina crooned sarcastically *This changes everything. He does not tell you because he is AFRAID of you. Not too afraid to find someone new in each town but too afraid to leave.***_

 _*And the Power..* One tear escaped but I quickly rubbed my eyes on the red scarf hanging off of my shoulder. God will see me through this._

 _ ***How on Earth could anyone be as clueless as you?* Mina asked incredulously, condescension hanging from every word she spit out at me. *It has been the same story for months. You go into town, he finds a 'lead' and he always leave at night to follow up on them, leaving you to drink the blood of swine and chickens.***_

 _*And the Glory..* I cannot go with him because these people know about my kind of disease. They are not trusting, they would not be alive and working with my kind of people if they were._

 _ ***A nice excuse for everything. At least you did not 'fall in love' with a bloody dunce." Mina snorted derisively on the word love but I ignored it. I ignored everything nowadays and it was quickly becoming my strongest skill. *No, what he is really doing is getting roaring drunk off your money and fucking whores until the sun comes up. Then he finds you and takes you both away before anyone can say he fucked a whore.**_ _*_

 _*Forever and ever..* I gripped my head tightly in between my two hands. My head is pounding like english war drums right before battle, my throat itching and calling to get sated by the unquenchable thirst. My fangs were practically begging to be let out._

" _ **Poor, delusional Gus.* Mina mocked heartlessly and a rush of victorious pride rushed down from her side of the link along with the knowledge that a naked man was just sucked dry, waiting to be found by his daughters while Mina left the house. *I want to ask a fortune teller this question: Will Gus stay with Jonathan Harker while he fucks his way through every cunt in the land, spends all of Gus's money, and finally find what he is looking for - a way to kill him and still be the one to receive the fortune?***_

 _*Amen.* I finished, rocking back and forth in a curled up position in the booth. The link between Mina and myself was getting stronger, it seemed, despite the distance between us. I could feel everything tonight and it felt like she was watching me, right now. I sighed in relief when there were no more thoughts or feelings being sent to me, just dead silence._

 _ ***Oh, Gus.* Mina said slowly, her voice putting me on edge because it sounded genuinely sympathetic. It reminded me of when we were so close that we would be able to tell what the other was thinking without a spoken word between us. A picture came to my mind then and her voice was back to the now familiar cruel, twisted version. *You have smelt it on him, the cunt he has been tending too, and now he even has the gall to fuck a little boy who has not even seen sixteen summers? Will it take him cutting off your head to make you see he hates you?***_

 _A picture, one that came in my mind's eye as clear as day, had the man who told me he loved me thrusting into the arse of a boy who did not even have a hint of whiskers on his face. I dismissed it, wanting to find a trough to vomit into at the sick mental image she conjured up… until I saw it._

 _Since we arrived back in England, we have been traveling around the country. It had been miserable and I can only remember one time when things were almost like normal - it was when I saw a patch, displaying the scales of justice, and I bought it for Jonathan. That very night, now two weeks ago, I sewed it onto his favorite jacket and he was chuffed to bits, strutting around jokingly and even kissing me on the cheek as a thank you._

 _The same patch that was on the coat and there was no way for Mina to know about it - unless she was stalking him right now. I had no doubt that it was a trick, a trap to lure me out, but she was threatening Jonathan._

 _I was out of my seat and through the door in less than thirty seconds. I could smell Jonathan and I followed his tracks carefully, my feet crunching in the snow as my eyes scanned the surrounding area for any sign of Mina, seeing in the dark just as well as I could in the day ever since I was turned._

 _I was a mess of anxiety, tension, and worry as I made my way through the streets - winding the same trail Jonathan had earlier. Finally I came to a much less populated street ad I saw footsteps, two sets, turning into an alley that could fit the one Mina pushed into my head._

" _Ugh, bloody hell…"_

 _My ears perked up instantly and I felt the hair on my neck standing up as well. That was not Jonathan's voice but it sounded like someone may have been in pain. There was something not quite right but I knew hesitation could be fatal right now so I approached the alleyway after shoving my insecurity to the side._

" _Jesus, fuck. Nghe." Jonathan was panting as he groaned and I heard it, the sound of flesh slapping flesh. It caused me to stop for a half second, wondering if I should just head back to the pub and pretend that I had been asleep. I knew I could not do that, I would never be able to do that, so I steeled myself and turned the corner._

" _Fuck!" I watched Jonathan groan as he thrust deep inside the lithe, writhing mess of limbs pushed down onto the ground. Jonathan's ass flexed as he drove into the boy over and over again, the image of the boys tanned back and arse pushing back to meet every thrust burned into my mind forever. I could smell a sudden spike of fear in the alley and it took me a moment to realize they noticed I was watching them._

" _Please, do not stop on my account." I growled sarcastically, performing the universal gesture to continue what they were doing. My entire body was shaking and it confused me since I did not feel the cold anymore - it took only a moment to realize that my body was growling so loudly it was shaking._

" _Gus..?" Jonathan asked, having the nerve to sound confused which did nothing to stop the rage come out of nowhere and swallow me._

" _DON'T CALL ME THAT." I snarled, crouching down a little and finally letting my fangs swing free._

" _Okay, okay." Jonathan listened, putting his hands out in a calming gesture. That was when the kid decided to run. "Gus, No!"_

 _I was in front of the kid and had his throat ripped out before Jonathan could even move his foot for a second step. Maliciously, I threw the blood covered piece of bone to Jonathan's feet._

" _Wha-?" Jonathan was dumbstruck and I stalked forward, watching steadily as he flinched as I silently drew close to him. Jonathan glanced from me, to the body of the boy, and to the part of bloodied spine laying at his feet. Jonathan finally lifted his eyes off the body part and he quickly jerked his arm to his jacket, reaching for something in the pocket, but his eyes widened and went to his throat instead._

" _Oh god." I moaned in agony, my tongue felt heavy in my mouth as I said the words, disbelieving and pained. I was there in a blur of movement, cradling him against my chest as all of the blood came rushing out of his throat. "No, no."_

" _S'okay." Jonathan tried to say, touching my hand._

" _I-I would never, I did not mean.. I do not know what happened.."_

" _I-I know. D-drink." Jonathan reassured me, moving his wrists to my mouth with his eyes looking into mine urgently. The eyes of a desperate man. I shook my head, not willing to add drinking him to the list after I hurt him… I couldn't. Jonathans eyes pleaded and he gurgled out the word please, drowned out by the blood welling up in the back of his throat._

" _Forgive me." I whispered, closing my eyes and sinking my teeth into his veins. I closed my eyes as the pure bliss of drinking fresh blood came over me - better than any drug could ever hope to be. It was while I was drinking that the memories came._

 _ **Jonathan meeting up with some bald headed guy, laughing at something he said.**_

 _ **Jonathan watching me with a sad smile but obvious love written on his face that I had not seen for months, which made my heart hurt.**_

 _ **Jonathan finding a piece of paper in a book, shoving it into the jacket he was wearing tonight, in the same pocket. There were illegible notes on it for the brief seconds I saw it but it made Jonathan extremely happy.**_

 _ **Jonathan walking out of the man's house and turning down the street, whistling a song I have not heard him whistle since before I was bitten. A happy song.**_

 _ **Jonathan turning into an alleyway and on the other side, Mina - dressed in a tight corset top and tight trousers, a devilish smirk on her normally beautiful face - a cruel mockery of the sweet girl she used to be.**_

" _Oh god…" my voice broke as I let out a shuddering breath when the memories stopped, showing Mina compelling Jonathan and the boy to shag one another._

" _C're" Jonathan said weakly, eyes glancing heavily towards his jacket. "Promise?"_

" _No, I do not promise." I cried desperately, beginning to shake from the sobs coming out of my body. "I-I do not promise so.. so you can not leave me."_

" _Gus? It will be oka-" Jonathan's eyes were beginning to slip shut and I closed my eyes tight to avoid seeing the life leave him._

" _Please no, please. Jonathan? Please?" I begged, crying and holding his body against mine. The snow around us was pink from blood spray along with my lips and hands stained a dark red from the direct contact. I smoothed out Jonathan's curls from out of his eyes, wiping blood on his eyelids accidentally. "I cannot do this without you. You are going to be okay, you said, but what about me? What about me, Jonny?"_

" _Wow. I bet that hurts like a bloody bitch." Mina comments, making my head snap up at the sound of her voice. "Turns out.. He loves you after all! Huh, who would have guessed it."_

" _Why?" I asked lowly, anger and numbness filling my stomach._

" _He was in the way." Mina shrugged, a sharp smile spreading across her face right after. "Besides, I told you, no one is good enough for my baby brother."_

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 **A/N: Thank you for the lovely encouragement everyone! Hopefully next Chapter will be posted tomorrow!**

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 **Playlist: Song - Artist - Scene**

 **Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Tony questions Auggie**

 **You Said You'd Grow Old With Me - Nightcore Version - Auggie finds Jonathan in the Alley.**

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Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! I hope to see more today! Let me know your thoughts on the chapter and another part of Auggie's past?


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